Nuzlocke: After Armageddon
by mangaluva
Summary: Saylee wants to find her brother and protect her town, and to that end teams up with Chaz the Charmander. Chaz, too, wants to know something- just what exactly happened to Kanto since he was last out of his Pokeball? Based on my FR Nuzlocke run.
1. Chapter 1

_(__**EDIT 04/06/2014: **__First chapter is now below the rules here. It was originally separate for about three years, but after a recent barrage of harassment from Critics United I have been forced to move it to the same chapter as the rules.)_

_Okay, I'm doing something a little new and I don't know if anyone else has done this: a Nuzlocke fic. I know most people draw comic strips, but I can't draw so much as a Voltorb, so I'm doing this instead._

_First off, for anyone who doesn't know, the Nuzlocke challenge is aimed at hardcore Pokémon gamers who want a bit more challenge out of their game. There are three basic rules, with various alterations possible._

_Catch only the first Pokémon you meet on each route or territory. If you kill the first Pokémon, too bad. Move on and catch nothing in that area ever again. (I'm making two alterations to this rule: one minor and one major. The minor one is the first new Pokémon on each team; I'm not interested in having, say, three Pidgey on a team. The major one is that if I see a shiny, all catching rules go out the window, but then if the shiny is captured in this irregular manner it is to be put in a special PC box and nothing else. If I do catch one, I probably won't bring it up in the fic; I'll just have the joy of owning it XD)_

_Nickname all Pokémon. (I do this alliteratively.) This rule famously serves no real gameplay purpose, other than making rule 3 hurt more…_

_If a Pokémon faints in battle, it is dead. Box or release it, but never use it again. (I box them. And it is painful.)_

_I'm not using the no-items rule, not on my first run. Also, when asked by a friend what happens if you run out of usable Pokémon entirely (IE your team is wiped out and you've no usable boxed Pokémon), I decided that it just means going back to the last save point, rather than starting the whole game over._

_So that's the challenge. It's certainly turned out to be more emotional than a usual runthrough of the game, making you much more attached to your Pokémon- which, again, just makes it hurt more when they die. *cries* That's probably what brings the Pokémon to life so much in your head, to the extent that for a while now I've been writing the backstory and personalities for my character and my Pokémon in my head. So I've started writing it up, and I'll post a chapter on an irregular basis. It'll be interesting, since at the time of writing I haven't finished the game yet, so I can't predict exactly what'll happen in the story or which characters will make it. It's not taking place in the same universe as my_ Revive_ fics. If you're enjoying it and think it works, let me know. If you think the idea is utterly failing and I need to leave this stuff to people like Petty and Ky-nim, please let me know XD_

_A small apology to those waiting for _A Spirit Detective_; yes, I know this is not that, and I know that a lot of people have been asking when ASD will happen. All I can say is, I don't know. I haven't finished the outline for the story yet; I have a general idea of where I want it to go and what things need to be cleared up, but I still haven't the faintest idea of how to do that, and frankly I'd like to do a lot more research on death and afterlife myths from various cultures first. Problem is, I just have no time for that right now. I've got a lot of jobhunting to do, presentations about my gap year to make for funders, I have to sort out my computer files for transferral to my new laptop, and I have to start sorting out what I'm taking to Uni with me and what goes in a box in my parents' attic, and then pack that stuff and get ready to move. I've got a lot to do, and I just don't have time to stare blankly at an empty word document, which I'm afraid is all that happens whenever I try to work on ASD right now. My DC muses are only willing to throw out the occasional Toichi x Chikage oneshot right now, and that's all. I only have time to work on what I have inspiration for, and right now, that's this._

_**Edit, 04/10/2012:**__ Doing a major edits run to sort out a lot of typos and errors, and also to get rid of some early instalment weirdness such as Red and Misty not addressing their Pokémon by name. Plus, I get to add in extra foreshadowing this way. I believe that a good bit of foreshadowing does a story good. Anyway, once these edits are done I'll start getting to work on getting the SoulSilver fic up :)_

_Pokémon: 0 Deaths: 0_

_Dear Mum and Saylee,_

_ How is everyone doing? Are the houses finished? I'll have to come back and visit soon—imagine, having a roof over our heads every night! I'm near the settlement anyway, I'm just going to check out the Indigo area first. There's supposed to be something pretty valuable hidden up there, some kind of treasure. I've gotta find that, right? That could set us all up for life!_

_ My Pokémon are doing really well. Eric's just evolved, I don't know what into—he doesn't look like Flareon, Vaporeon or Jolteon. I'll ask the old Professor when I'm next home. Paul still doesn't want to evolve, though! _

_ I love you guys, and I'll be home soon, so look after yourselves._

_ Red xxx_

Saylee read over the letter for what must have been the millionth time in the year since it had arrived. Then she carefully folded it up and, after only a moment's hesitation, placed it carefully in the inside pocket of her bag, along with an old photo of her brother. Her mother could keep the photo he'd sent with the letter. It would comfort her more than the letter did.

Saylee carefully moved the old computer she'd scavenged out of the way—it might be useful someday, if they ever got an electric-type to provide power for the town—and started packing the cache of supplies that she'd been scavenging for some weeks now. There were some survival supplies, a potion for healing Pokémon, and a filter bottle for water. If she got a water-type, she could be assured of clean water, but until then she would often be stuck with possibly toxic rivers. You couldn't ever be sure that something was safe. It had been that way since before she was born.

Pushing her glasses up her nose, Saylee took one last look at her room—_their_ room, a room they'd built with space for both her and her brother, a room he'd never set foot in—trying not to think of when she might next be here. Then she carefully walked down the shaky stairs.

Downstairs, her mother was sitting at the table, crying over a picture of Red and Saylee together as children. Saylee hugged her mother warmly from behind, looking down at the photograph. The two of them had different colourings, Red with black hair and dark red eyes, Saylee with light brown hair and light blue eyes, but they were both pale and looked somewhat alike despite the colours. Saylee wondered what he'd look like now, three years since she'd last seen him in the flesh. He had been fifteen, the same age she was now, and slightly shorter than her. He should be eighteen now, and he'd probably hit a growth spurt like Blue had. Saylee wouldn't care if he'd shrunk as long as he was still alive.

"…The Indigo area's so big and remote," her mother whispered, clutching her daughter's arms. "It's so dangerous out there… Do you have to go, honey?"

"I do, Mum," Saylee sighed. "Somebody has to go find Red. And we finally managed to build a village of our own—somebody has to make sure we get supplies, money to tide us over until we can fix up the wastelands enough to start farming. Besides, you can stretch our food twice as long with me gone!" Saylee tried to say it jokingly, to raise her mother's spirits, but it only made her choke out a sob, before turning to hug her daughter tightly.

"Please be careful, Saylee," she sobbed. "Please. I don't want to lose you too. I can't. It won't be worth struggling through all this without…"

"Don't talk like that, Mum," Saylee said firmly, stepping back. "I'll always come back. And I'll bring back Red, too. I promise."

"I know, honey," her mother sniffed, wiping her eyes and tucking her greying hair back. The stresses of the life of a nomad in a ruined land had aged her far beyond her years; she'd had grey hairs as far back as Saylee could remember, as if the colour had been drained from her hair into her baby boy's. "Just… no. Just go. I love you, honey."

"I love you too, Mum," Saylee said, turning and walking out over the sleeping blankets spread across the floor, not letting herself look back.

It was just late enough in the morning that the sunrise had stopped painting the clouds brilliant colours, and they too had faded back to grey. A few people were working on the fourth hut in their "town", built from scratch on the wastelands that nobody else wanted. They didn't even have the advantage of being able to scavenge the remains of former cities as others did. Instead, they were clearing trees and building with the wood, and were beginning to till the land that the trees had been on for farming, reasoning that if it could still sustain forests, the land should be able to grow edible crops. It was slow going, with the entire project being dependant on the few Pokémon that Professor Oak had left for protection, and Saylee felt guilty that she was about to take another. _Well, if I can catch more while travelling, I can send them back with the money and letters._

She stopped to fill her filter bottle from the pond at the edge of town, ready to roll away from the pond if the ripples attracted anything hungry. Taking a moment to tighten the laces on her trainers and straighten her red shorts, she set off for the laboratory.

It was probably too grand a name for the ruined building, broken stone walls patchworked with wood panelling and roofing, inside of which they'd found some vestiges of the old technology and information. It had been enough to convince them that this was a slightly better patch of desolate wasteland than any other on which to settle. What towns there were now were so undersupplied that none had been willing to take in any wandering families. Saylee could vaguely remember the endless rejection of those early years; they'd found this place when she was eleven. Four years of work and they had three and a half solid buildings and an almost safe path to Viridian City.

Someone needed to support this town if it was to survive. Someone needed to convince the towns to support each other if anyone was to survive. And someone had to find her brother.

She entered the laboratory and headed past the villagers who were feeding some of the Professor's Pokémon their breakfast, chatting to them about the plans for the day, and started looking for Professor Oak, the oldest member of the community and default headman. He was nowhere to be seen; however, his grandson Blue—a boy a year older than Saylee who had grown up with her and Red—was standing at the back of the room, staring impatiently at two pokéballs on the table.

"Blue?" Saylee said tentatively. Once they'd been close friends, but he'd been getting colder and angrier ever since she'd declared her intent to go find Red on her fifteenth birthday, six months ago. He didn't agree with her plan, considering it suicide, and hadn't reacted well to her refusal to change her mind. He didn't like Pokémon much anyway, and didn't agree with Saylee's idea to set off into the world with one. She never knew these days if he'd be mean and bullying, or if he'd forget his funk for a while and be friendly again. She prayed for the latter, and feared the former.

"Gramps isn't here," he said, crossing his arms, jaw ticking. "Where could that old man go?"

"Did you come to say goodbye?" Saylee asked, half-hopefully. "You didn't have to. I was going to come say goodbye to you and Daisy before I left, of course…"

"No," Blue bit out. "I came to say that I'm leaving too. If I can't convince you to give up your suicide attempt, you might as well not be completely alone out there. That way, if you get yourself in over your head, I can haul your stupid ass back home."

Saylee stared. She had not been expecting this. "Seriously…?" She searched his deep green eyes for some indication that he was bluffing or pranking her. He looked away, his eyes avoiding hers, and laughed.

"Besides, _somebody's_ gotta support this place with Red gone," Blue continued snidely. "Someone with, you know, _talent_."

"Why, you—!" Saylee bit her tongue and turned to leave, fuming. She could still hear Blue laughing at her.

{}

Blue's older sister Daisy looked a lot like him, though her long brown hair was much softer and fell in a long bunch rather than sticking up above her head. She was also much, much, MUCH nicer.

"I'm sorry, Saylee," the young woman said kindly, stirring whatever was in the big pot over the fire in front of her. Saylee wouldn't say it in front of her mother, but the nineteen-year-old was definitely the best cook in the village, and it was currently the practice for the whole town to pool supplies and for her to cook for everyone. She could stretch supplies, too, which was another bonus to her cooking. "Blue left a little while ago, but I don't know where Grandad is. I thought he'd be there, to be honest."

"Maybe he met a new Pokémon," Saylee suggested. "I'll go look around."

"Good luck," Daisy said, giving Saylee a one-armed hug while stirring. "And I know that Blue's hard work these days, but still, you two… a lot of the time, you'll only have each other out there, so look out for each other, alright?"

"I'll see what I can do," Saylee said, rolling her eyes. A year ago, the thought of travelling with Blue might have been cool, but these days… well, a year ago, they still had Red.

{}

The others in the village wished her luck, but none had seen Professor Oak. Saylee was standing at the edge of the half-safe route to Viridian City, wondering if she'd be safe if she kept to the very edge of the tall grass thickets, when a familiar voice yelled at her.

"Saylee! What are you doing? Get away from there!"

Saylee gratefully stepped away from the slightly rustling grass, grinning when she saw the Professor. "Where were you hiding? I've been looking for you, Professor!"

"And I for you, now what were you thinking?" Professor Oak fumed. "There are wild Pokémon living in that grass!"

"No! Really? Whod've thought!" Saylee said sarcastically, not particularly wanting to be made to feel like a moron on the day that she left home. The Professor ignored her and started heading towards the lab. Saylee followed and felt her irritation dissipate behind the excitement of finally getting a Pokémon to call her own.

"'Bout time," Blue said irritably when he saw Saylee and the Professor enter the lab. Oak ignored him and picked up the pokéballs.

"I kept these from the old days," he said fondly, looking over the two capsules. "Don't know if there's any left in the wild… my notes say that there used to be a colony of this little guy on top of Mt Moon, but these days the Golem herds live up the mountains, and, well… never mind, I'm rambling. These are for you two," he said, holding them out. "You can pick first, Saylee."

"Gramps! What about me?" Blue complained. Oak glanced at his grandson, and then back to Saylee.

"Be patient, Blue, you'll get the other," he said. "Saylee's been planning this for months, and you just up and announced that you're leaving last night. You need a little practice at patience, I think."

Blue looked furious, but fumed silently while Saylee looked over the two pokéballs. One had a fire emblem, the other water.

_Fire… Red fire…_ she thought with a smile, deciding that a fire-type would be good luck and picking up the pokéball. Oak nodded and handed the water pokéball to Blue. "I'll take this little guy. Let's see what he is!"

Opening the pokéball unleashed a small orange creature, a little over Saylee's knee, with a big round head and a little flame at the end of his tail. He looked up at Saylee and smiled.

"Hey," he said. "You're Saylee, right? The Professor told us about you. My name's Chaz, and I'm a Charmander. Nice to meet you!"

_{}_

_{}_

_Short first chapter, just trying to set up a little background and characterization. Saylee's about the only character I'm going to describe physically, since she looks like me instead of Leaf. The rest of the characters and Pokémon, I'm going to assume that you know what they look like :P_

_And yeah, like most Nuzlockes, in this my Pokémon talk. So, first Pokémon get!_

_Name: Chaz. Species: Charmander. Nature: Serious. Ability: Blaze._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	2. Chapter 2

_Pokémon: 1 Deaths: 0_

"The Professor told you about me?" Saylee asked curiously, crouching down to Chaz's eye level. The little fire-type nodded.

"He told us what you're looking for," he said, placing a little paw on Saylee's arm. "Figured we'd make a good team, because we're looking for something too, Sam and I." He waved at the small blue turtle that Blue had released and was crouched curiously in front of. "Three years ago, your brother started travelling with a friend of ours, a Bulbasaur. Grass-type. Mellow guy. But of course, he's gone missing too, so we're worried about him." He grinned at Saylee. "So, looking forward to teaming up and finding them together?"

"Sounds good to me," Saylee said with a smile, taking the paw and shaking it. She stood up, pocketing Chaz's pokéball for now, and nodded at Blue. "Ready to go?"

"I've got an idea," Blue said with a grin, setting Sam on the floor. "Before we go, let's see how well our new teamups work. One on one battle. If I win, you give up this kamikaze quest. Sound good?"

"You're evil, you know that, don't you?" Chaz said to Sam. "Seriously, are you half dark-type or something? That's not a fair fight and you know it."

"Too scared to take me on, Chaz?" Sam said with what Saylee had to agree was an evil grin. Sam sounded female.

"Oh, don't even _try_ and pull that—" Chaz complained, but Saylee patted him on the head and stood up.

"You're on, Blue," she said. "But if we win, you have got to get off my case and stop bugging me to go home. Deal?"

"This is a bad idea, Saylee," Chaz murmured. Saylee smiled.

"Don't worry, Chaz," she replied. "I know what I'm doing."

"Sure you do," Blue said with a smirk. "I'll level the playing field. You get the first move." He yawned. "We're waiting!"

"Fine," Saylee said. "Scratch her, Chaz!"

"On it," Chaz said with a grin, cracking his claws as he shot forward, knocking Sam over. She yelled and withdrew into her shell at Blue's command. Saylee directed him to scratch again, Sam's shell starting to scar and dent. Sam got in a tackle, bowling Chaz over, but he still had strength enough to get up and scratch again, and she didn't have the strength to take it.

"What… no way!" Blue complained, stooping to pick Sam up, putting the tired Pokémon into her ball. "How'd she lose? I had the advantage!"

"Yeah, but that's the bonus of planning ahead, Blue," Saylee said, unable to resist a little shot at him. "Chaz and Sam look pretty young, and most Pokémon don't learn elemental skills that young. I figured that even though Sam had the elemental advantage, she'd be too young to take advantage of it. Also…" she patted Chaz's head again. "Fire-types tend to be pretty pumped up on attack, I read— at least, more so than water-types. I figured if it came down to a brawl, Chaz would be able to strike harder than Sam. That's all." She straightened up. "For months, I've been setting time aside to study Pokémon. If you just decided to go yesterday, I'm betting you haven't. Sam has a natural advantage over Chaz, but I think I have the advantage over you."

"Geez, what a little know-it-all!" Blue complained loudly, pushing past Saylee. "We'll see what good it does you in a real battle. Smell ya later!" With those charming parting words, he was gone.

{}

"Hey… Saylee…"

"Yeah?"

"I thought he said he'd tell his sister _not _to give you a map."

"Pfffft. He said that, but in the real world, where she _owns_ him…"

Chaz was perched on the opposite shoulder from Saylee's bag, reading the map she had held up. The map was a little dated; there were hand-drawn crosses over towns and routes that didn't exist anymore, as well as new routes and settlements. Chaz frowned slightly as he looked over the layout of the map, but Saylee didn't seem to see anything too amiss. She traced the route to Viridian with her finger, and the folded up and pocketed the map. "How much older than him is she?"

"Three and a half years," Saylee said, starting to push carefully through the grass. "And she's pretty much raised him since their parents got eaten by wild Nidorino, oh, must have been ten years ago now? Before we got settled here. Though shouldn't you know all this? The Professor's had you guys for a long time, right? Oh crap!" she yelped as a Rattata leapt out at her. Chaz jumped down from her shoulder, swiping his claws at it and knocking it aside.

"Don't worry, it's what I'm here for," he said, pushing the unconscious little Pokémon aside. "Just a baby anyway. And yeah, I remember… geez, is this really Route 1? I remember when this place was… lush, colourful, fruit trees all over the shop." He looked around sadly at the dry earth and thick, rough grass that was the only thing that seemed to grow in abundance in most places. "Don't know exactly what happened, though. I was probably in my pokéball at the time, those things give you the best siesta. Anyway, last time I was out of the ball was when Ben left, with your brother. The Professor told us about how the world was kinda dangerous, but I hadn't _seen…_" he paused to scratch out another Rattata. "He was acting a bit funny, too… Anyway, the problem is, me, Ben and Sam? He got given us as babies. He'd only raised us a little when whatever happened, happened. And he explained that these days, we were too weak to fight off most threats— anything stronger than _these_," he said, knocking down a Pidgey chick, "and most of these I bet you could take out yourself with a good kick. And he didn't have _time_ to train us to be stronger, there were always more pressing problems…" he looked up at Saylee. "That's why we were excited as anything when he let us out of the balls last night and told us that you and Blue were about to take off, and you'd be able to train us. For you humans, growing up's just a matter of time. For us? Hell, without fight energy, no matter how much our minds grow up, we could be stuck as toddlers forever! When I was born, who knows how long ago, kids just play-fought together, older Pokémon got into casual scraps if they wanted to get stronger, nobody ever had to get really hurt…" he looked down sadly at another Rattata that he'd just taken out.

"I don't know what happened, it was before I was born and nobody wants to talk about it," Saylee said with a shrug. "All I've ever known is that wild Pokémon are nuts and dangerous. Don't know what it is about owned Pokémon that makes them more relaxed. Oak swears they didn't have the technology for mind-control or anything like that to put in pokéballs. Maybe you're just more certain of where your next meal is coming from…"

"Well, I'm here to find my friend, and because I'm grateful to get a chance to travel and grow," Chaz said with a grin, smacking down another Pidgey. "Thanks, Saylee. Don't know how long I'd have been in that pokéball without you!"

"Hey, we made it!" Saylee said, stepping out of the grass and scooping Chaz up in a hug. "I'm glad you're with me too, Chaz. Let's go find Ben and Red together!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Chaz agreed, laughing and spitting embers in the process. "Oh, hey! Never been able to do that before! Sweet!" He started deliberately spitting embers onto the barren earth. Saylee stood on them.

"Better not do that in town, most houses get repaired with wood and they won't be happy if you set the town alight," she cautioned, popping him back up onto her shoulder and stepping into Viridian City.

{}

"There aren't very many people living here, are there?" Chaz said, looking around at the cluster of houses. "Is this really a city?"

"What do you mean?" Saylee asked, looking incredulously at her partner. "There's a whole thirty people here! That's more than twice the number of people at home! And the families all have whole houses to themselves, too! _Stone_ houses! Anyway, they ought to have a healing machine like the Professor's, we can use that to perk you up…"

Chaz looked around at the rickety facsimile of a town, stamping down a sudden feeling of hopelessness.

There was a town cafeteria, similar to the role Daisy played in their village, where a lady in the corner was willing to boot up the healer for Saylee after she asked for directions to the market; the town just couldn't afford to sustain outsiders unless they could make a profit from it. Chaz was conspicuously quiet as the pair of them made their way to the market.

"You're all the way from Pallet, huh?" said one stall trader. "You here for supplies?"

"Pretty much," Saylee said, reaching for her money bag, when another guy called over.

"Pallet town?" he asked. "So you know Professor Oak, right?"

"Of course I do!" Saylee said, turning to face the guy. He was holding up a large brown package. "What is _that_?"

"Hell if I know," the guy said with a shrug. "A while ago, a kid came through town, paid good money for it and said he'd take it back for Professor Oak to check out, and then never came back. It's been paid for and it's no use to me, so you couldn't take it back to him, could you?"

"I suppose," Saylee said with a frown. She wanted to be on good terms with these traders, in case it helped her bargain for a good deal on food supplies, but she didn't really want to head back to Pallet Town on the same day as her grand exit. It was a bit fast… "I'll take it back just now, maybe make it back by the end of the day. But before I go, can I buy these…"

"What is all this?" Chaz asked, wrapping his stubby arms around a sack and tottering after Saylee, who also had armfuls of packages.

"Food from other places," Saylee said, peering at some well-wrapped vegetables. "All of the gangs trade with each other, but nobody trades regularly with Pallet, so we have to go buy stuff from Viridian…"

"Gangs?" Chaz asked, sniffing the air and swishing his tail to throw embers at a Rattata that had been sneaking up on them.

"You know, the big gangs," Saylee muttered, ducking a Pidgey and shifting some of her packages in her arms. "All the large settlements tend to be run by some kind of gang. Not many people train Pokémon, you know. The people who do tend to be in charge. Anyway, they trade food with each other all the time, and get into fights all the time too. The Rockets, the gang that run Viridian? They get into scraps with _everyone_. I'd rather steer clear of them for now."

"Rocket, huh?" Chaz muttered, burning another hungry Pidgey. "Can we move quicker? They can all smell the food…"

"Oh, of course," Saylee agreed with a grin. "I'm sorry, can your little legs keep up?"

"Watch me," Chaz growled, causing the wild Pokémon to shrink back as the little orange lizard charged forwards.

{}

"Ah, so one of these still exists?" Professor Oak said excitedly, opening up the odd-looking pokéball and pressing some buttons inside. There were three more in the bag. "Here, I'll give you one, and if I see Blue—"

"I'm here, Gramps," Blue fumed, storming into the lab, Sam toddling after him and waving at Chaz. "Daisy hauled me back, said you were looking for me. What's up?"

"Here, hold onto this," Professor Oak said, passing another one of the odd pokéballs to Blue. "These come in pairs, they're small teleporters. Put something inside, close the lid…" he demonstrated, putting an empty pokéball in one of the other teleporters and closing it. Saylee felt a sudden weight in the one in her hand, and opened it to see the empty pokéball sitting inside. "It'll be helpful for sending money or Pokémon back here, won't it?"

"That's so cool!" Saylee said happily, clipping it to her belt. Blue did the same.

"I thought everyone used to have them," Sam muttered. "Only not so… _rubbish_."

"Things've changed a lot, it looks like," Chaz replied despondently.

"Is this all, Gramps?" Blue said impatiently. Professor Oak hurried back to his desk.

"No, no, no!" he laughed. "You'll need these, too…" He picked up two small red tiles. To Saylee's surprise, when Professor Oak handed her one, it _beeped_.

"What is this?" Blue said, bemused, flipping open a flap on the front. It came up with a picture of Sam.

"It's a Pokédex!" Professor Oak said brightly. "I've been working on them for a while now, salvage pieces… they're high-tech encyclopaedias!"

"Whats?" Saylee asked, opening hers. As soon as she pointed the little camera on the top at Chaz, it came up with information about him— his height, his weight, his power levels, what kinds of attacks he could perform and more. Saylee stared.

"To make an encyclopaedia of all the Pokémon in the world…" Professor Oak sighed. "That was my dream! But…" he laughed in embarrassment. "I'm too old. So, I'd like you two, on your travels, to record as much as you can about Pokémon. For the betterment of relationships between humans and Pokémon, we must learn all that we can about them! This is very important!"

"You got that right," Blue sneered, snapping his shut and pocketing it. "That's why you'd better leave it to me, Gramps! I'll fill this thing!" He smirked at Saylee. "Sorry, but I don't need you! Later!"

With that, he strutted out of the lab, Sam at least giving a polite little wave before following. Saylee stuck her tongue out at his retreating back.

"Ugh, why is he such a _jerk_?" she fumed. "Thank you, Professor. I'll do my best."

"Go on then, Saylee," Professor Oak said, watching Blue go with a worried smile. "And good luck… to both of you."

{}

"Well, at least we got pokéballs," Chaz pointed out as they trudged back through Route 1. "And that Pokédex thing could come in handy. I never saw anything like it before."

"People weren't studying Pokémon before?" Saylee asked, opening the Pokédex again and watching it load up Chaz's vital stats. Chaz scratched his head.

"I don't think so… I don't know." He shrugged. "I was just a baby. Anyway, check it out. Over there." Saylee looked where he was pointing and saw a tiny Pidgey, barely old enough to fly, nibbling gamely at some of the tall, rough grass.

"He's pretty young," Saylee said doubtfully, reading the information on the Pokédex, "and not very strong…"

"Well, that's what you're for, am I right?" Chaz pointed out. "We can help him get stronger. Once he is, he can fight with us. What do you think?"

"Might as well," Saylee said with a shrug, picking out a pokéball. The Pidgey spotted her as she got closer, cheeping angrily and fluffing up his feathers to look intimidating before suddenly flying at her. He was aiming for her bag strap; Saylee stepped aside, placing her hand protectively over the bag. Chaz swiped him aside with a well-placed Scratch, and the Pidgey collapsed, whimpering. "Perfect, he'll be too weak to fight it now!"

The Pidgey looked surprised as she knelt down and gently pressed the pokéball to his forehead. "The hell are you doing?"

"I'll take you somewhere to fix you up and feed you, does that sound good?" Saylee asked, smiling as the red light enveloped the little bird. "What's your name?"

"Pedro…" he croaked weakly, before vanishing into the light.

{}

{}

_Yeah, there's a good bit of schizo tech here… there is a reason for that, I promise. XD Second Pokémon get!_

_Name: Pedro. Species: Pidgey. Nature: Mild. Ability: Keen Eye._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	3. Chapter 3

_Pokémon: 2 Deaths: 0_

A bit of food and a short rest later, and Pedro was sitting contentedly on Saylee's shoulder. Chaz was happy to walk next to Saylee and give Pedro a run-down of what they were up to.

"You want me to fight for you?" Pedro said, looking a bit surprised. Saylee nodded.

"When you're stronger," she explained. "Of course, I wouldn't want to force you."

"Don't worry, doll, it sounds like a plan to me," Pedro said, preening. "I help you find your brother, you feed me. I like it."

"Nice to meet you, then, Pedro," Chaz said warmly. "I'm Chaz. I'll be looking after you while we train."

"Cool," Pedro said, looking around, and suddenly freezing, staring at something. Saylee followed his gaze, and after a moment, spotted the Rattata sneaking through the grass.

"Oooh, a Rattata!" Saylee murmured excitedly, stalking towards it. "Okay, Pedro, hit it light and we'll—"

"Sorry, no," Pedro said, shooting over and slamming into the purple rat.

"What the f— oh, hey, Pedro," the Rattata sneered. "Must be really desperate, I ain't got any food on me for you to steal!"

"I'm sorted for food now, jackass," Pedro said smugly, rising up and nodding at Saylee. "I got a trainer now, and I am outta here!"

"Why, you lucky son of a—" Pedro hit the Rattata again, knocking him out, before fluttering back to Saylee's shoulder.

"Pedro!" Chaz gasped. "Why—?!"

"Look, it'd just be awkward for you to catch anyone else from this territory, okay?" Pedro said, rubbing his beak affectionately against Saylee's cheek. "I know them all, and we've all been fighting each other forever. That's the way it is. There just ain't enough food and nests. You humans ain't the only ones living in the shit, y'know. We all want out. Most of the Pokémon you're gonna come across will attack you because it's a win-win situation. If they lose, they might get captured, and I'll tell you this, having a trainer feed you all the time ain't bad, not to mention the good life you're living if your trainer makes it as a Gang Leader or anything. And if they win… food for a week." He chuckled nastily, nipping at Saylee's cheek. "Well, maybe two days from you, doll."

"Pedro!" Chaz admonished him angrily. "How can you—?!"

"Don't get all self-righteous on me, lizard," Pedro growled, suddenly aggressive. "You were born in a _lab._ You don't know what it's like out here. Hell, I bet you don't even know that your species don't _live_ outside of labs anymore, do you?" Chaz gaped at him. "Thought not. Used to be a helluva colony on top of Mt Moon or something, I heard, then things went south and the territory battles started and all the Onix and Golem and the like got forced out of the deep underground. I heard Charizard are tough as nails, but it don't do them any good against rocks." Chaz flinched. Saylee felt guilty. Determined to be a cautious trainer, she'd spent some time looking up the stats of Chaz and his evolutions, and one resolution was to watch out for rock-types; they could do an awful amount of damage to Charmander and Charmeleon, and when he evolved into Charizard he'd be a flying-type as well, which doubled the damage. "If scientists hadn't kept breeding you in labs, you'd be extinct, pal."

"That's _enough_," Saylee said sharply. "Both of you. You want to make it out, Pedro? You and Chaz are going to have to work together. We need to be a _team_. That means we hurt the enemy, not each other. Got it?" To his credit, Pedro looked downcast. Saylee stooped and scooped Chaz up in her arms, settling him against the opposite shoulder to the one that Pedro perched on. "Okay, Pedro, if it'll make you feel better, we'll have a new rule. Only one new teammate from each territory, okay? If I need a Rattata, I can catch one somewhere else, they live all over the place."

"…Thanks, doll," Pedro said, nuzzling her cheek again. Then he nodded at Chaz. "Pal, for what it's worth… didn't mean to be a jackass, that was just a reality check. If it means anything, I'm glad you ain't extinct, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"…Sure," Chaz said with a little nod.

{}

"Don't you want to say goodbye to your family at all, Pedro?" Saylee asked, stacking a couple more twists of dry grass onto the small fire, trying to get it big enough to cook something. Pedro, who had been looking with interest at the Pokédex page showing his evolutions, shook his head.

"Dunno where they are," he said offhandedly. "Had some brothers and sisters hatched the same time as me, but y'know how it is, we all left soon as we could fly. Saw one of my sisters a little while ago, got into a fight with one of my brothers once over some grass… think one of the others got eaten last month."

"…What about your parents?" Saylee asked, trying not to sound too horrified. Pedro looked blankly at her.

"Migrated?" he suggested, with the little ruffle of his wings that seemed to be the bird equivalent of a shrug. "Mighta had some more hatches by now… Why're you so interested?"

"I don't know… I just wondered if there wasn't anyone you wanted to say goodbye too," Saylee said, a little sadly. Pedro fluttered over and nipped her on the cheek.

"Sorry, doll, but we really ain't that communal," he said, "not like you humans are. It's every 'mon for himself. I guess some kinds hang out in groups, but not Pidgey. We hang out in a group, we'll have to feed everyone, and there ain't no way there's enough food to feed everyone. Too damn many of us."

"That's too bad," Saylee said, stroking his beak and smiling when he closed his eyes and cooed slightly. "It just seems kind of… _lonely_."

"Well, if you evolve you're strong enough to fly further, I hear you can hook up with a flock," Pedro said offhandedly. "Seen a few guys evolve and take off. As I am, I can't really go nowhere without a shoulder to sit on for a bit." Saylee laughed.

"You know," she teased, "one day you'll be a Pidgeot, and they're _big_. You'll be big enough to carry me!"

"This squirt?" Chaz teased. "I bet I'll be bigger than he will be, and cooler too! I'll carry you around!"

"Leave the flying to the flying-types, pal," Pedro snarked back, and the two began to squabble. Saylee smiled, noting that there was none of the sharp tones or venom present in their first altercation. It looked like her little team was off to a good start.

With that happy thought in mind, she started on dinner.

{}

"Go, go, go!" Saylee encouraged. Pedro flapped his wings harder, gasping a little with the effort, but it paid off; the attacking Rattata was flung backwards by the force of the rush of air, and collapsed, swearing at Pedro. Saylee grinned and stroked Pedro's beak, making him fluff his feathers proudly. "Yep, it looks like you've got the hang of gust!"

"You've come a long way today," Chaz said approvingly, and meant it. Early that morning, Chaz had had to step in to defend Pedro against a stronger Pidgey almost immediately; the past five fights, however, he hadn't had to get involved at all. "Saylee, different Pokémon live to the west of Viridian, right? Maybe we should check that route out!"

"Sounds good," Saylee said, skirting along the edge of Viridian City. A few people waved at her; for whatever reason, the Rocket gang weren't in their own town, and people seemed quite happy to be friendly without the threat of getting kneecapped by a Raticate. Route 22, according to Saylee's map, led up to a dead end, but there was a patch of rough grass rustling with Pokémon and a pond full of relatively clean-looking water. Saylee refilled her water bottle while Pedro and Chaz sniffed around the grass. Suddenly, a blur of purple slammed into Saylee; she screamed, dropping her water bottle as a wild Rattata clamped down her tough little teeth onto Saylee's wrist.

"Saylee!" Chaz yelled, swiping at the Rattata with his claws. The little rat snarled at him before being blindsided by Pedro.

"Hey, Pedro," Saylee called, examining her wrist before grabbing a pokéball, "You know this Rattata?"

"Never seen her before," Pedro called back, pecking at the Rattata again before she could attack.

"Good," Saylee said, throwing the pokéball from a safe distance. The injured rat was captured almost instantly.

"You really want her with us?" Chaz asked, sniffing the pokéball. "I mean, she _bit_ you."

"Really hard, too," Saylee said approvingly, digging in her bag for a rag to wrap up the wound with. "I'll bet she could get really strong. I'm willing to give her a chance." Saylee let the Rattata back out and applied a potion to her wounds. The little rat sniffed suspiciously at her.

"What're you doing?" she asked nervously, before staring in surprise as Saylee offered her a piece of fruit.

"You've got guts," Saylee said, "and I'm looking for Pokémon to help me out. I'm looking for my brother, but I can't go anywhere without Pokémon to fight with me. Want to come with us?"

"…can I eat the fruit?" the Rattata asked. Saylee nodded, and she attacked the fruit, gulping it down.

"Eat slowly, it'll fill you up more," Saylee chastised her. "I'm Saylee. What's your name?"

"Ra-chel," Rachel muttered, in between bites. "Uh… nice to meet you, I guess. Thanks for the food!"

"No problem," Saylee said with a smile, patting her on the head. "This is Pedro and Chaz. Welcome to the team!"

"Picking up little weaklings now, are you?" an unpleasantly familiar voice sneered.

Saylee rolled her eyes, sighed heavily, and stood up, standing protectively in front of Rachel as she faced Blue. "What do you want, Blue?"

"I was just wandering around, looking for Pokémon, and decided to see if you were still alive," Blue teased. The mocking grin faded off his face, however, to be replaced by a scowl, and Saylee giggled when she realized why; she had Pedro sitting on her left shoulder, and Chaz standing by her right ankle. With Sam at his left ankle, and a much smaller Pidgey on his right shoulder, Blue and Saylee were like mirror images.

"Anyway," she giggled, "do you want something, or are you off to capture a billion new Pokémon?"

"How about a match?" Blue suggested, still scowling. "Prove they're not as weak as they look."

"Who is this tailfeather?" Pedro muttered. "Let me peck his eyes out. _Please_."

"You'll get your turn," Saylee muttered. "Bring it on, Blue."

Blue patted the head of his Pidgey, who took it as his cue to fly off his trainer's shoulder. "I'll show you who's the tailfeather!"

"Oh, it is _on_ now!" Pedro snarled, stretching his wings, but Saylee put a hand on his back.

"Let Chaz take the first one," she said, looking at Sam. If she was growing at a similar rate to Chaz, she probably knew some low-level water moves already, which meant that Pedro would have to be the one to fight her. "Ember, Chaz!"

"Quick attack!" Blue ordered. His Pidgey got in the first strike, but that also meant that Chaz was able to blast him with a wash of hot embers from close range. The Pidgey screeched in pain and flopped to the ground, flapping one wing awkwardly; the air stank of burning feathers, smoke still emanating from a nasty burn across the wing.

"Finish it with scratch!" Saylee ordered. Chaz did so, mercifully attacking the opposite wing, and the little bird keeled over. Blue returned him to his pokéball, grinding his teeth.

"Sam, you're up," he said tersely. Sam nodded, waddling forwards and winking at Chaz.

"Think you'll beat me again?" she asked. Chaz shook his head, backing off.

"Nah, you can have Pedro," he said, looking at Saylee for confirmation. Saylee nodded, taking her hand off of Pedro.

"Go get her."

Pedro was much faster than Sam, giving him the edge in what became simply an endurance battle of gust versus bubble; in the end, the fabricated gale was causing far more damage than the acidic bubbles, and it was Sam who withdrew and keeled over. Pedro made it back to Saylee's shoulder, before whimpering and stretching his wings. "Damn, that was tiring!"

"You did great, though," Saylee said with a smile, petting him. Chaz gave his teammate a thumbs-up.

"That was so _cool_!" Rachel squeaked, peering around Saylee's ankles to grin at Blue as he returned the unconscious Pokémon. He just scowled at her, causing her to retreat again, before shoving his hands into his pockets and stalking off.

"Nice to see you too," Saylee called sarcastically after him, before crouching down and digging in her bag for Potions. "Come on. Let's get you guys healed up, and then pray that he isn't headed for Viridian Forest too."

{}

{}

_Been busy busy busy this week- moved into Uni yesterday, went to a party full of drama students, got "happy birthday" sung to me by people who hadn't met me yet at midnight XD Good times! To honour my birthday... I'm posting a Pokemon fic. See how mature I am now that I'm 19._

_I would also like to offer out my remorse to anyone who lost a friend or relative ten years ago today. For the first year, Bin Laden does not breathe on the anniversary of their death, which is a cause for celebration in my book._

_As an aside, by this point I've noticed that Chaz is really, really good at causing burns. The first ten times he used Ember, it burned the opponent every single time. That streak got broken fighting a Rattata, but every time he uses a fire move I notice quite a high rate of burns. Anyway, third Pokémon get!_

_Name: Rachel. Species: Rattata. Nature: Docile. Ability: Guts._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	4. Chapter 4

_Pokémon: 4 Deaths: 0_

"Um… I'm really sorry about that," Wilma said, nibbling on a green leaf that Saylee had found her. "Really, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Pedro muttered, drinking from the bowl of water that Saylee had set out. "I deserved it. I was tryin' to eat you."

"I bit Saylee when I met her yesterday," Rachel commiserated. "I'm sorry again, really!"

"Don't worry about it," Saylee said, petting the little rat affectionately. "Right, Wilma: I've been looking you up in the Pokédex. We shouldn't need to train you much to get you to the larval stage, and then when you hatch you'll be a Beedrill!"

"Will I be able to fly?" Wilma said excitedly, crawling up onto her new trainer's shoulder to peer at the Pokédex, frowning at the words on the screen. "What're all the little shapes under my picture?"

"They're letters," Saylee explained. Wilma just looked confused.

"It's a human thing," Chaz explained. "The shapes are supposed to make noises in your brain. It's like drawing words. I don't get it either."

"Oh, okay." Wilma dropped off of Saylee's shoulder and went to curl up and sleep next to Rachel. She seemed to be avoiding Pedro. Whether she was scared that he'd try to eat her again or feeling guilty about poisoning him so badly, Saylee wasn't sure.

She'd decided to keep Pedro away from Weedle in the future. They'd met Wilma right outside of Viridian Forest, and before being caught she'd nicked Pedro with her horn, poisoning him and making Saylee panic as she sprinted back to the community centre to get an antidote for him. She very nearly hadn't made it, and had spent a bit of her food money buying more antidotes to carry on her. She'd already had to use a couple more on Pedro; he seemed to get poisoned _very_ easily.

After the scare, they'd started heading into Viridian Forest, but it was getting late and the forest was almost pitch-dark. Just inside the entrance, they'd pitched camp for the night and scrounged up some dinner. Saylee was reading through the information in her Pokédex attentively. It seemed to be connected to an existing information bank, visibly updating with the data the little device was drawing from her Pokémon; it was enough to tell her what they'd evolve into, and when. Chaz, Pedro and Rachel were all some way from evolving, but Wilma was close; bug-types evolved young and fast, Saylee remembered reading. A Beedrill would be good to have. Their attack was quite high compared to most Pokémon in the Viridian area, but they were very rare because first they had to be a Kakuna, and the motionless larvae were frequently eaten.

"_I wonder what else lives in this forest…_" she thought, scanning the area. A patch of rustling grass drew her eye, just as Pedro looked up. He saw what it was before Saylee did.

"A Caterpie!" he said excitedly, flapping his wings and assuming a predatory stance. "Mmmm…"

"Hey! Wilma!"

All head swung around to Wilma as a Caterpie burst out of the grass and went tearing towards them. "You _know_ him?" Chaz asked.

"He's…" Wilma looked up, and smiled. "Hey, it's Cal! What's up, Cal?"

"He's gonna _eat me_!" Cal whimpered as the grass shook again. Skirting Pedro nervously, he wiggled up to Wilma quickly. "Who're all these guys?"

"Cal, I have a trainer now!" Wilma said happily. "And these are my teammates—"

"Awesome! That means you can help me, right?" Cal whimpered, hiding behind Wilma as his predator burst out of the grass.

"Sweet, double serving!" the yellow menace said, grinning wickedly. Saylee gaped.

"A _Pikachu_?!" she gasped. "Good Arceus, they're meant to be extinct! If we can…" she began to reach for a pokéball, but Chaz reached up and touched her hand. She looked over and saw Wilma and Cal cowering behind Pedro, who didn't look a great deal more confident against the electric-type.

"We can't abandon them, Saylee," he said softly. "Wilma's ours now… and that seems to make Cal too, by extension."

"…You're right," Saylee sighed. "Chaz... make with the ember."

Right as the Pikachu crouched to spring on Pedro, Chaz leapt on him, tail swinging and exhaling hot ashes all over the electric rat. Pikachu screeched in pain, and was soon a tail vanishing into the grass.

"Thank you, thank you, _thank you_!" Cal gasped effusively. Saylee sighed in disappointment as she watched the Pikachu go, and then smiled as she sat back down and picked up Cal.

"Nice to meet you, Cal," she said. "I'm Saylee, Wilma's new trainer. That's Pedro, Rachel and Chaz. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine… thank you!" Cal was blushing as he thanked her repeatedly. "You're so nice… Wilma, your new trainer is _so_ nice!" He fell silent for a moment, blushing even stronger. "U-um… I know it's probably presumptuous of me to ask…"

"He's getting on my nerves, can I eat him?" Pedro muttered. Chaz smacked him on the head.

"What do you want to ask, Cal?" Saylee said, shooting a glare at her unruly Pokémon before giving Cal a sweet smile. "Do you want to come with us?"

"Y-yeah!" Cal squeaked. "I mean, if it's not too… I mean, a _trainer_…. Could you help me become a Butterfree?"

"Of course!" Saylee said, setting him down next to Wilma and patting him on the head. "I'll do all I can to help both of you reach your final forms, how's that sound?"

"That would be so brilliant!" Cal cheered, jumping down to squeal with Wilma. "I can't wait to _fly_, can you?" Pedro smirked at them.

"So, training marathon in the morning?" Chaz asked, settling down next to Saylee. Saylee nodded, petting him and then reaching over to stroke Rachel's whiskers as she settled down into the first watch.

"Pedro, go to sleep," she called. "It's your watch at 1am."

"Do we have to go on watch?" Wilma asked nervously.

"Can you see in the dark, nibbles?" Pedro grumbled, leaving off bullying the bugs to flutter over to Saylee's lap and snuggle down.

"Um... no," Wilma said, squinting around.

"Then no. Get some sleep. You're gonna train your ass off tomorrow."

{}

The forest was full of bug catchers, trained bugs on their belt and baskets full of Metapod and Kakuna. Saylee recalled that they were considered quite a delicacy in this area. Quite a few challenged her, some for "no reason", one admitting that "Your Caterpie looks quite savoury". Due to the fact that all of them used bugs, Chaz and Pedro made quick work of them. Observing the battles and taking on a few of the weaker ones themselves, Cal and Wilma grew quickly, and by mid-afternoon of their third day in the forest, Cal's crest and Wilma's horn were both beginning to secrete the soft white thread that they would soon form cocoons out of.

"We just need a little more battle experience," Saylee said, striding along a new path, peering around for anything that looked like it wanted a fight. She found it in an unusually arrogant bug catcher.

"Did you know," he asked, letting out a couple of Metapod and a Caterpie, "that Pokémon evolve?"

Saylee looked at Pedro and Chaz, who grinned. Cal and Wilma watched attentively, guarded from wild attacks by Rachel, crest and horn leaking thread. A wash of wind and embers later and the string was flowing thick and fast, wrapping around their bodies as they yawned slightly, preparing to hibernate. The bug catcher gaped from his fried Pokémon to the two new cocoons that Saylee was scooping into her arms.

"Yeah, actually," she said smugly, "I do."

"Neat stuff," Pedro said, tapping Cal lightly with his beak. Two large black eyes opened out of the hard green shell, looking around shyly. He hummed slightly, but lacking a mouth, couldn't say anything. Wilma also had a pair of beady black eyes, but she also managed to extend two barbs from her shell. Saylee could see beads of violet poison glimmering along their edges.

"Careful with those," she admonished. "Good to know you can protect yourself before evolving, though..."

"Yeah, looks like she's safer than Cal," Rachel said, peering at them as Saylee cradled the two, letting Chaz lead the way through the forest. "Which of them'll evolve first?"

"We'll get you both hatched soon," Saylee promised, holding the two close. "And then you can both fly."

Cal and Wilma's eyes swivelled to look at Saylee, and then at each other. They crinkled into a mouthless smile of excitement.

{}

It was the next night. So much had changed.

_She'd bounced out with her poison barbs extended, and defeated a few hungry wild Pokémon that way. She'd been so proud of being able to hold her own better than Cal could._

Chaz reached his little arms around Saylee, cuddling her, trying to support her. Pedro nipped at her cheek, keen eyes watching out for anything approaching.

_It had been a Rattata, a little larger than normal, but not the toughest Saylee'd seen in the wild, and Wilma had taken down tougher. She'd already poisoned it. And she was so close to evolving, so when Wilma had wanted to fight, Saylee had let her._

Cal fluttered around, looking lost and ill at ease in his new form. Rachel batted at his dangling blue feet, nodding at Saylee's bowed head. After a nervous moment, Cal fluttered over, figuring out how to curl his feet over Saylee's other shoulder to perch himself. Rachel hopped into her lap, snuggling up against her cradling arms.

_The Rattata had been smart, but too hunger-crazed and poison-fogged to think better than to try to eat the poisonous bug, and it had bitten at just the right angle, sliding sharp teeth underneath a chink in the shell, plunging into the soft, gooey flesh underneath. Wilma's barbs had jerked in a soundless scream. Saylee wasn't so quiet, screaming first in horror, then in shock as Cal launched himself from her arms, smashing into the Rattata's skull. His head cracked, but it was alright; the experience was just enough, just enough, and the crack revealed a purple head, bulbous eyes, and unfurling wings._

_It hadn't been enough for Wilma. Not enough._

The yellow... _fluid..._ leaking from the cracks in Wilma's shell was staining Saylee's hands. Inside, Chaz could make out dull red eyes, the white skeletons of incomplete wings, a half-formed yellow abdomen. He wondered what Saylee was seeing. She had researched them all so thoroughly on her Pokédex; she knew what they would all evolve into. Was she seeing another future, where Wilma lived? Was she seeing what would now never be?

"Saylee... Saylee, I'm sorry," Chaz said, hugging her. "None of us expected... one of us ought to have stepped in..."

"I shouldn't've let her fight," Saylee murmured. "She's a cocoon... thought she could fight... should've been more careful..."

"She _wanted_ to fight, Saylee," Cal said softly, flapping his soft wings across her cheek. "This was her choice as much as yours... her accident. She wouldn't blame you. She just... she wanted to fly so much."

"I... wanted to help her fly," Saylee said softly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I wanted to see her fly... I wanted to see both of you fly..."

"Then watch me," Cal said, flapping into the air, powder showering from his wings to shimmer over Wilma's body. "_I'll_ fly for both of us. Watch me." Saylee was still looking down. "_Watch me!_" Saylee looked up sharply, shocked at the harshness in the previously shy bug's tone. She almost seemed to see Cal, his evolution into Butterfree, for the first time. The tears didn't stop flowing, but slowly, a smile managed to twitch its way onto her face.

"You're so beautiful," she said softly. "She would've been, too."

"Give her here, doll," Pedro said softly, nipping at Saylee's cheek again. Cal floated unsteadily from her shoulder, wrapping his long blue feet around Wilma's body. "We ain't gonna let her get eaten. You ready to whip up a li'l funeral pyre, pal?" Chaz nodded, slipping out of Saylee's arms and nodding at Rachel, who looked over at the pile of dry wood she'd quietly gathered. "If you don't wanna watch, doll, town's not far off."

"No," Saylee whispered, letting her fingertips brush over the soft yellow head as Cal lifted Wilma out of her arms. "I need to say goodbye to her." She sniffed, wiping her hand across her eyes. "We only said hello three days ago... seems too soon."

"It happens, doll," Pedro said, not unkindly, as he nipped her cheek again, watching Cal reverently lay his friend down on the wood and Chaz slip his tail under the stack to the dry starter grass beneath. "I ain't saying to expect it, or get used to it. Just be ready. It happens."

"I'll never get used to it," Saylee said, wrapping her empty arms around Chaz and Rachel as they hopped into her lap, and leaning her cheek to nuzzle Pedro. "I don't want to. I don't ever want death to be easy." She watched Cal floating over his friend's pyre, getting buffeted around slightly by the hot air currents. "I don't want to lose any of you."

"Thanks, Saylee," Rachel said, snuggling up to her. "You know, my brother had a trainer. When he died, his trainer just dumped his body. I saw it a couple of days after, half-eaten by some Spearow. Most trainers don't cry. Most trainers don't care. So... thanks."

"...My brother cared," Saylee said softly. "Red. Whenever he wrote, he talked about his Pokémon so happily. And when he had a Pidgeotto that died... he was so heartbroken. He always cared..."

"You have a brother?" Rachel asked curiously. "Can you tell us about him?"

Saylee hesitated, and then, cuddling close to her Pokémon, started to talk, watching the flames. "He's three years older than me. His name's Red..."

{}

{}

_My first death was actually painful. I really didn't think I'd get as upset as I did. It really came out of nowhere; a Rattata got a critical hit that seemed to do far more damage than it should, and Wilma was gone. She was only a few xp points off of evolving, too. This being FireRed, the gym battle was going to depend on Cal's confusion and Chaz's Metal Claw anyway, but... ouch. Just ouch._

_Oh, and the thing with the Pikachu? Really happened, and I'm still smarting over it. It had to be the SECOND damn thing I met in that forest?!_

_Name: Wilma. Species: Weedle. Nature: Careful. Ability: Shield Dust._

_Name: Cal. Species: Caterpie. Nature: Bashful. Ability: Shield Dust._

_RIP Wilma the Kakuna, lvl 4-9._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	5. Chapter 5

_Pokémon: 4 Deaths: 1_

"_What_," Chaz choked out, "is that _nasty_ smell?"

"For the love of—" Pedro started coughing too. "The hell is that?!"

"I think it's him," Saylee said, indicating a man who was walking around the edge of a pen, spraying a familiar-smelling mixture over the fence. It didn't smell bad to her, but she knew that the scent would almost physically repel her Pokémon. "Sorry, guys, he's spraying Repel over the fence. What's in there?" she called to the guy. He eyed her up suspiciously, before seeing her return her coughing Pokémon to their pokéballs, evidently deciding _no threat_ and preferring to smile to the cute girl talking to him.

"Some Paras we picked up," he explained, nodding towards the pen. "This stuff keeps predators away. They're fine so long as I don't get any on the inside of the fence."

"Paras? I heard their mushrooms are really good," Saylee said curiously.

"Yeah, delicious!" the man sighed happily. "Bit of a local delicacy. Only the caps, though, if you take the stems it hurts 'em. So long as we all stay friendly, they're good at mixing up medicine and stuff too."

"You have _medicine_?" Saylee said excitedly. "_Human _medicine?" Pokémon had something of a natural healing factor, and Pokémon medicine was really little more than an accelerant; human healing was vastly slower and effective medicine was more difficult to produce. Saylee hadn't even seen any for years; illness in Pallet and Viridian was endured or succumbed to. She reached into her bag for what money and tradeables she had, but the man shook his head.

"Sorry, miss, but, well... the boss doesn't let us trade it," he said apologetically. "I mean, if you want to come live with us, the boss might let you..."

"I need medicine for my town," Saylee said coldly. "I'll give you a good price for it, but I'm also happy to beat it out of the boss, if I have to. Who is he? Who runs this town?"

"Miners," the man said with a shrug. "We're right next to Mt Moon, got pretty much exclusive access to the resources, but you've gotta be pretty hardass to wander around in there. They all use rock-types. The boss is a guy called Brock, hangs out in there." He indicated an imposing structure, the only fully stone building in the city. "I wouldn't try to beat anything out of him, though. He's _tough_— hell, that's why he's in charge!"

"Rock types won't be a problem," Saylee said, smiling sweetly. "Put aside some medicine for me, will you?"

{}

"ROCK-types?!"

Cal, Pedro and Chaz all looked frightened, and Rachel was distinctly unsettled. Saylee tried to smile calmingly, stroking Cal's wings.

"They won't get a chance to land a hit on you, Cal," Saylee said soothingly. "Rock-types are extremely slow, and your confusion will damage them badly. They won't even see you coming."

"Yeah, but Cal ain't got no backup," Pedro growled. "Rachie there, she's got a wicked bite but it ain't gonna do shit to a rock. And what'm I gonna do? I'll probably snuff it if they look at me too hard!"

"I'm not counting on you or Rachel for this one," Saylee said. "We have to do this. I need that medicine, and we need safe passage through Mt Moon, and we can get both if we just kick this guy's ass. It'll take no time. Get in, strike hard and fast, get out winners. Don't worry, Chaz and I have a secret weapon." Chaz grinned a little nervously back, but he cracked his claws to show that he was ready. "We've trained hard, you guys are tough. I've heard of these guys, and while they're the toughest in this area, that doesn't make them strong. They're just stronger that the bug catchers back in the forest there, and how weak were _they_?"

"What, they were _trainers_?" Pedro said with a smirk, preening.

"We swept through them in five minutes," Saylee encouraged them. "So this Brock bloke will take... ten, maybe. Twelve on the outside."

"Well, I'll be cheerin' you on, bud," Pedro said, pecking affectionately at Cal. "Ready to go do Wilma proud?" Cal had been looking unconvinced, but the mention of Wilma seemed to stiffen his resolve. He flapped his broad wings, and his eyes began to glow as he charged his psychic power. Chaz's tail flared up in preparation for battle.

"So, where did this guy say Brock was?" Cal said determinedly.

{}

The town was in reasonably good condition, with all buildings having at least three stone walls. There was even a museum, a building full of curios found in the mountain: odd rocks imprinted with the shapes of long-dead people and Pokémon; strange devices, some recognizable as old forms of existing technology, some completely unidentifiable; unusual ores and geodes.

After looking around the museum for a little while, they headed on to the imposing stone edifice where the miners and Brock were supposed to hang out. Probably due to it being the middle of the day, there was almost nobody there, just a couple of trainee kids that got taken out in a stream of one-hit knockouts. Cal's confidence was sky-high by the time Brock came out to see what all the fuss was about.

Saylee had heard from her brother that the first step to dealing with these gang bosses was to stare them down, to not flinch or let them intimidate her. Saylee kept her gaze firm, but she honestly had no idea if Brock was meeting her gaze at all, his eyes were squinted so closely. Probably a side-effect of spending a lot of time in the darkness underground. Still, he was definitely going for some kind of intimidation, since Saylee knew that cloth was plentiful enough to make a shirt for even this guy's build. He also had a Geodude hovering over his shoulder, imitating its master's crossed arms and squinted glare.

"Hey there," Saylee said, crossing her arms back and keeping her gaze levelly on Brock's eyes. Cal's eyes began glowing again as he prepared for battle, and Saylee could hear Chaz, the only other out of his pokéball, sharpening his claws quietly behind her. "My name's Saylee, from the Pallet settlement. Your pal with the Paras told me that you're not willing to trade us some medicine; what's the deal? I'll give you a good price."

"Good price or no, no medicine is leaving this town," Brock said sternly. "Some of you are welcome to come live here if you want, we've got room for a little expansion..."

"Can you take all of us?" Saylee asked with a friendly grin. "There's only twelve of us."

"Nah," Brock said with a shrug. "We could take five, probably. How's that sound?"

"We're an all or none deal, I'm afraid," Saylee said firmly. "Here's a new deal; you give me some medicine to send home, or I kick your ass." Cal flapped his wings and flew forward.

"Just try it," Brock said calmly, stepping back to let his Geodude float forward. "Galt, use Rock th—"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOWW WWWWWW!" Galt howled in agony as the built-up psychic power in Cal's eyes discharged, blasting him backwards in a pink flash. Galt smashed hard enough into the wall to leave a crater, and when he fell to the ground he did not get up. Brock frowned, and Saylee grinned as she watched the blow to his composure take effect.

"Got anything better?" She asked. Brock scowled, and threw out a second pokéball. What materialized was far vaster than Geodude; a gigantic serpent of rock reared out of the materialization light, towering over Saylee and her Pokémon.

"You can do this, Cal," Chaz said, and Cal hesitated. "Physical size means _nothing _to psychic power! Right, Saylee?"

"Exactly," Saylee said, snapping open her Pokédex. "It's an Onix. Pretty tough, but it's slow and its defence against special moves is atrocious. Just hit it hard and fast, same as always!"

"Got it," Cal said with a nod, as the Onix raised its tail laboriously. "Time to fly—!"

He whipped around its huge body, easily dodging its clumsy strikes, and his eyes flashed as his psychic power knocked the behemoth to the ground. Saylee cheered as Cal flew over his fallen foe.

"That was amazing, Cal!" Saylee cheered, pausing when her Pokédex beeped. She clicked it open, eyes widening at the display. "No! Cal, get out of—!"

"Wha— AAAAAAGH!" Cal howled. Behind him, the still-conscious Onix's tail had risen and smashed down heavily on the fragile insect. Saylee screamed as Onix unsteadily raised itself up over its fallen enemy, the weight of its body grinding Cal into the ground.

"CAL!" She screamed, feeling her knees shake. Through her blurring eyes, she caught Brock smirking as he saw himself gaining the upper hand, and something in her turned to steel, firm and strong and unwilling to _lose_. Something on Chaz turned to steel too. "Chaz, take him down! Metal claw!"

"Way ahead of you," Chaz snarled, leaping forward with his claws shining silver. Even the hard rock of Onix's body crumbled under his claws, and the gigantic rock-type gave an earth-shaking howl as it fell back to the ground. This time, it did not rise. Brock's eyes widened in horror as his strongest Pokémon fell. Chaz hurried over to smash Onix's tail off of his friend. "Cal, hang on! Cal! Cal? Cal... No..." He knelt down at Cal's side, and then looked up at Saylee sadly.

Saylee felt herself shaking, but clenched her fists, refusing to let her foe see her weakness. Biting down her grief, she raised her head and looked coldly at Brock. "Right. Medicine, now, or you're next." Brock scowled, but it was obvious that he stood no chance against Chaz's claws, not when even his rock-types had been rent apart by them. He nodded, uncrossing his arms and beckoning to one of his lackeys, a trainee boy who was cradling his unconscious Sandshrew.

"Get a full range of the medicines," he grunted. "Don't hide any, she'll come beat them out of us anyway. Enough for twelve people."

"I appreciate it," Saylee said coldly, "and I _will_ still pay you for them." She walked forward, stepping gingerly over Onix's body, to kneel next to Chaz, putting her hand gently on his head and wincing at the smush with wings that was all that remained of Cal. "...I'm sorry, Cal. You got to fly so little... I'm sorry... and thank you." She nodded to Chaz, who swept his tail over Cal, setting his remains alight.

{}

"Head east and you'll hit Mt Moon, and past there's Cerulean," Brock said, reaching into his pocket. "Last place I saw Red headed. Here. My emblem. Take it and you should get through with no trouble. There're plenty of trainers and nomads out there that aren't from Pewter, though."

"We can handle it," Saylee said, taking the silver-grey emblem and clipping it to her bag. "I might call by again."

"Next time, you'll have a _real_ fight on your hands," Brock promised. "Clearly, I've been slacking. I'll be training more from now on."

"You're welcome to try," Saylee said stoically, touching Chaz's head with her hand and heading out along the route.

There were thick bushes and small trees all over the place. Saylee calmly veered off behind one, glancing back over her shoulder to see that Brock had gone and nobody was in sight. A sob tore out of her throat as she crouched behind the tree, burying her head in her hands.

"Oh, Saylee..." Chaz said sadly, walking over and hugging her gently. He was getting taller, tall enough for his head to be level with Saylee's when she was sitting. He leaned his head gently against hers, sitting quietly with her while she sobbed silently. "I'm sorry. I should've jumped in sooner. I really thought he'd done it..."

"This is _not_ your fault, Chaz," Saylee said vehemently. "It's mine. I didn't train him enough... wasn't quite strong enough..." Chaz reached a paw down and tapped the other two pokéballs left. Pedro and Rachel materialized instantly, looking from their crying trainer to Chaz, and then to the distinct lack of Cal.

"...Shit," Pedro huffed, fluttering over to sit on Saylee's knee. "Damn, doll. I'm sorry. I wish... I wish I could've helped."

"Me too," Rachel whimpered, curling up on Saylee's other side. "What... what happened? To Cal?"

"He died proudly," Chaz promised them. "At the moment when he thought he'd won... he almost did, you know. That bastard Onix just hung on that little bit too long..."

"He was a good guy," Pedro grunted, nipping at Saylee. "Hell, bugs don't live long anyway. And he got to fly, doll. You helped him fly, and for however long it was, that's what he wanted, y'know? I bet he loved every minute of it, doll. So try not to feel too bad, y'know?"

"Yeah, all that boohoohoo bullshit's getting on my nerves," a voice said sharply above them. Saylee jerked her head up, as did the others, as something streaked past them, smashing into Pedro. He squawked angrily, lashing out with wings and claws at the aggressor. Chaz waded in too, slashing his claws to defend his friend. When the other bird was knocked aside, Rachel jumped on him, pinning him to the ground with her teeth over his throat.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Saylee clicked open her Pokédex, examining the new Pokémon. It was a Spearow, a notoriously vicious species, but according to the Pokédex, they had eyes as keen as Pidgey's and higher attack.

"Doll," Pedro said, landing on her shoulder, "tell me you ain't thinking of picking up this jackass."

"He could be useful," Saylee murmured back, gently stroking a bruised wing. "As padding, if nothing else. Of course, as a more senior member of the team, you're more important than him..." Pedro's eyes crinkled into a bird's evil grin.

"I like the way you think, doll..."

{}

{}

_That was a shock of a gym battle for me. I genuinely though Cal had KO'ed that Onix, but it must have had about 2hp left, and it got a Rock Throw in... Maybe I should've just gone with Chaz. Metal Claw aside, I've killed that Onix with Embers on previous playthroughs- their special defence is truly atrocious._

_So farewell, sweet Cal, and flights of Togekiss sing thee to thy rest... and hello Sparta!_

_Name: Sparta. Species: Spearow. Nature: Hasty. Ability: Keen Eye._

_RIP Cal the Butterfree, lvl 5-13._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	6. Chapter 6

_Pokémon: 5 Deaths: 2_

"You are so stupid," Sparta complained. "Utterly idiotic. I have never met _anybody_ so stupid. I mean, seriously, how retarded are—"

"You can shut up now, jackass," Pedro snapped. Chaz smacked Sparta over the head. Saylee ignored their bickering, watching the salesman hurry away and carefully cradling her new acquisition. She flopped helplessly in Saylee's arms, nervous under the dubious looks of the rest of the team.

"But... why _did_ you buy her, Saylee?" Rachel said, watching the pathetic fish curiously. Saylee flipped open her Pokédex, showing Rachel an image of the new Pokémon.

"This is Miranda now," she explained, "and yes, I know she's not very tough now, but once she evolves..." Saylee clicked a couple of buttons to bring up a new page on the Pokédex. It was less detailed, but since Rachel couldn't read anyway, all that was important was the image... and what an image.

"What is _that_?" Chaz gasped, as the others crowded around.

"Wow," Pedro said, looking slightly more appreciatively at Miranda. "What the hell is that thing, doll?"

"That's a Gyarados," Saylee said smugly. "One of the strongest water-types on the planet. Trust me, the price I paid for Miranda is cheap compared to how powerful she's going to be if we can get her to evolve..."

"Can I see?" Miranda asked curiously. Saylee angled the Pokédex to allow the rather immobile Magikarp to see. "Is that... is that _me_?!"

"Yep," Saylee said. "Just be patient. We'll get you there."

"We gotta bust our butts to protect this useless runt?" Sparta complained. Chaz smacked him again, rather more forcefully than he ever smacked Pedro. Saylee carried Miranda carefully, grateful to have a project again. It took her mind off things. She'd begun to make a project out of making Sparta the Spearow into a fairly amiable Pokémon and a reasonable member of the team, but that quickly transpired to be a lost cause. The bird was almost deliberately rude and spiteful to everyone and everything, and privately, Saylee had to hope that she found another couple of teammates soon so she could replace him. Six, according to her brother, was the largest number of Pokémon you could have on you without neglecting any of them, and she had decided to take his advice to heart and only raise six at a time. She wasn't sure she could afford to raise more, anyway.

Mt Moon was huge, but one of the miners tooling around, after seeing Brock's emblem, told her that the tunnel through the mountain was fairly straight— there were a few deadended off-paths, but he assured her that the other miners would be happy to direct her. Chaz took the lead, his tail lighting their way, Pedro and a reluctant Sparta keeping their keen eyes on the shadows. Even with their watch, Saylee somehow managed to trip over something round and hard in the dark.

"Gyaaagh—!" she shrieked, rolling as she fell to avoid squashing Miranda. Rachel and Chaz immediately hurried over to help her up, while Pedro pecked Sparta in the head for sniggering. Something else grumbled.

"Whaddya think yer doin', gal?"

"Hey, this rock talks!" Sparta yelped, jumping backwards as the "rock" rolled over and extended two rocky arms to rub sleep from irritated eyes.

"It's a Geodude!" Saylee gasped. "Geez, I'm sorry. I didn't see you..."

"You humans don't see nothin'," the Geodude grumbled. "Just watch it, right?"

"Clumsy bitch," Sparta complained. Pedro and Chaz both whacked him for it.

"I'm sorry," Saylee repeated. "Hey... do you know which way to the Cerulean exit? We're trying to get to Cerulean City..."

"Yer all travellin' together?" the Geodude asked curiously. "Yer a trainer, gal?"

"I am," Saylee said, shifting her grip on Miranda to cradle her in one arm while reaching the other out to the Geodude. "My name's Saylee, and yeah, I'm a trainer. This is Miranda, and that's Chaz, and Rachel, and Pedro, and Sparta. What's your name?"

The Geodude looked curiously at her hand, before, to her surprise, taking it gently and shaking her hand. "I'm Geoff. Nice t'meetcha. I know all the caves 'round these parts; I could take ya all th' way ta Cerulean, if ya want."

"Really?" Saylee said excitedly. "Thank you so much, Geoff! That would be brilliant!"

"Don't worry 'bout it," Geoff said, preening. He indicated to Chaz to hop on his head so they could float ahead as a leading light, and the rest picked themselves up to follow them. "So, why're ya all headed t'wards Cerulean?"

"I'm looking for my older brother," Saylee explained. "Brock said he last saw him headed east towards Cerulean City." She gently stroked Miranda's head. "We're working on training Miranda up enough to evolve."

"She's just gotta watch and learn, then, don't she?" Geoff said, cracking his knuckles as a few Zubat flew out of the shadows, shrieking for blood.

{}

Most of the miners in the mountain backed off from Saylee as soon as they saw Brock's emblem, but as she'd been warned, the mountain was crawling with nomads and hunters who were happy to beat up each other and anybody else coming through the scavenge supplies. Generally, though, they were not particularly strong, and what Geoff and Chaz couldn't take down with a first strike, Pedro, Rachel and Sparta easily finished off, and Miranda, while clearly not the brightest of the bunch, watched them all enthusiastically and seemed to grow almost visibly in Saylee's arms.

They had to camp overnight in the mountain a couple of times, though "overnight" was a difficult concept to define deep in the caves. Saylee grew very dependent on the clock in her Pokédex. Geoff also had a highly accurate internal clock, probably because he was used to living underground without daylight to judge time by. Rachel was happy enough in the darkness, being a naturally nocturnal Pokémon who had gotten used to having to scavenge in the daytime, but Pedro and Sparta were less than happy with the constant darkness. They were used to flying in the daylight, and their keen eyesight was largely dulled by the dark.

"We should be out of the mountain by the end of the day," Saylee promised them the fourth morning, stroking Pedro's beak soothingly, and Sparta's too even though the more belligerent bird pulled away quickly. "We're in the lower caves now, so it's not far to the Cerulean exit. Not long now!"

"I wonder why everyone's in uniform on this level?" Chaz wondered. "That was the fourth guy dressed in black that we just took down."

"Well, black's a damn good disguise in th' dark, don'tcha think?" Geoff suggested. "Maybe they all had th' same idea..."

"What, and they all thought that snazzy red R on their jumpers was a good idea at the same time?" Sparta snarked. "How stupid are you all? There's a gang down here."

"But they're not from Pewter," Saylee said, pausing to examine her Boulder Badge, which was still in a prominent spot. "I don't think they're from Cerulean... my brother said that the cliffs on the Cerulean side are so steep that they're impossible to climb up. You can't get to Mt Moon from Cerulean."

"Nomads, maybe—?" Rachel began, cutting off with a sharp squeak of pain as something yanked her into the darkness with a feral snarl.

"Rachel? _Rachel?!_" Saylee yelled, whipping around. She only heard a pitiful whimper from the darkness. "Chaz, Geoff, help me find Rachel!"

"Rachel!" Chaz yelled, spraying out a wave of embers that briefly illuminated the cave. What they saw made Saylee's heart shudder.

Another man in black was standing not far away, with a Zubat sitting on his arm. He had probably been using its supersonic to see them in the dark, and launch a surprise attack; his Rattata was crouching over Rachel's unmoving form with blood on its fangs.

"RACHEL!" Saylee screamed, Pedro and Sparta starting up a chorus of angry shrieks from her shoulders. Chaz's tail flared angrily as he leapt from Geoff's head, slashing his claws at the enemy Rattata, knocking it away from Rachel. His skin flushed blood-red as he snarled angrily at the flinching man and his Zubat.

"You shouldn't be here, kid," the man growled. "You're getting in the way of our operation!"

"Good," Saylee yelled back furiously. "I don't give a damn what your operation is, but you and it can rot here in this cave! Chaz! Finish them!"

"With pleasure," Chaz snarled, his growls deeper, baring suddenly longer claws against the man in black. "_With pleasure._"

Over the man's terrified screams, Saylee knelt by Rachel's side, shifting her grip on Miranda to reach out to the little rat. "Rachel? Ra- Rachel..." She jerked her hand back from the still form in shock, and then reached out more gently to stroke the soft purple head. "Rachel..."

{}

"You're a Charmeleon now," Saylee said, her bright tone slightly forced. "It's the intermediary stage of your growth... you've got hotter flames, higher strength..."

"And what the hell's that thing?" Sparta asked, landing on Chaz's head and pecking at the horn that had extended from it.

"Beginnings of a flight stabilizer," Saylee said, clicking through a few pages of the Pokédex. "When he reaches his final stage, there'll be two. Head's not all that streamlined otherwise."

"..._flight stabilizer?!_" Chaz gasped. "I'm gonna be able to _fly_?"

"Charizard certainly can," Saylee said, showing him the picture. Sparta, Pedro and Geoff all crowded in to look.

"Dude, that's kinda cool," Geoff opined.

"Still not exactly _streamlined_..." Sparta muttered.

"Shut it, tailfeather," Pedro shot back. "Better-lookin' than a scrawny great Fearow, anyways."

Saylee smiled a little, watching her Pokémon return to bickering like normal. She gently stroked the headstone that Geoff had placed over Rachel's ashes, before putting away her Pokédex and scooping up Miranda. The water-type was already much larger and heavier than when they'd entered the cave, but she still looked downcast.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Miranda," she said softly. "I wish that hadn't happened... wish I'd been more careful..."

"It happens," Miranda said sadly. "Happens a lot to my kind. At least she didn't get eaten." Her eyes swivelled to look at her trainer. "I can't wait to evolve... Gyarados are pretty powerful, right?" She frowned. "I'll be able to protect the others then... I'm so useless right now."

"You're not useless, Miranda," Saylee promised. "You're just lying in wait."

"Thanks, Saylee..." Miranda said, smiling a little, and then sighed. "...Now I'm the only one who'll never fly."

"Not quite," Saylee said with a grin. "When Geoff evolves, he'll be far too heavy for his magnetic core to keep him levitating."

"I'm gonna be too damn heavy if ya don't move yer own ass!" Geoff yelled at Chaz, floating past. "Gonna hafta walk on yer own now, pal." Chaz followed, frowning. He was now only about half a metre shorter than Saylee standing, and too large to perch on Geoff's head anymore. By contrast, Pedro was perched on his horn, and Saylee noticed that he was larger than before too. Sparta landed on her head, pecking her on the forehead, before taking off to take place on Geoff's head.

"C'mon, moron," he yelled back. "Let's get moving! I want to see some damn daylight already!"

{}

"Calm down, pal," Saylee said, raising one hand soothingly while clutching Miranda protectively with the other. "We don't care about your stuff."

"Sure you do, thief!" the crazy guy snarled. Saylee was starting to get annoyed. He wouldn't stop ranting and was blocking the way to the exit, clutching a couple of grubby rocks like gold. "You knocked out all my guards! You're here to steal the fossils, aren't you?!"

"I didn't fight any— those thugs were with _you_?" Saylee asked, anger spiking. "Those sneaky thieves are with _you_?"

"Look who's calling who a thief!" the freak ranted, throwing out a pokéball and releasing a foul-smelling pile of purple sludge. Saylee and Chaz both choked; Pedro and Sparta, with less sensitive senses of smell, just recoiled slightly; Geoff, with no sense of smell at all for anything non-mineral, cracked his knuckles. Saylee clicked open her Pokédex, scanning it over the creature.

"Grimer," she muttered with a frown.

"Lemme try something," Sparta said, slapping his wings and shooting towards Grimer in the blink of an eye. He struck at Grimer five times in quick succession, making it collapse in a puddle. "Check _me_ out!"

"How long have you known Fury Attack?" Saylee asked in surprise. Sparta preened.

"There's a lot about me you don't know," he boasted. Something behind him _slithered_. "I'll show you—"

"Try _watching behind you!_" Chaz yelled. Sparta jerked aside as Grimer reared up, but not fast enough to avoid being engulfed in a wet purple fist.

"You idiot!" Pedro yelled, diving into the attack. Grimer collapsed again, this time not rising. The freak yelled angrily and returned it, replacing it with a Voltorb.

"Pedro, get Sparta the hell out of there!" Saylee ordered. "Geoff, bury that thing!"

"Gotcha," Geoff said, sending forward a spray of mud at the volatile electric-type. Saylee crouched down as Pedro flew over, clutching Sparta in his claws. The smaller bird was choking and coughing violently.

"You freakin' moron!" Pedro yelled. "The hell were you thinking? Pay attention, dammit!"

"Sh-shut up," Sparta coughed. "You-you're one to talk... getting poisoned all the damn time..."

"Hang in there," Saylee said, digging frantically in her bag for antidotes. A cold fear was dripping down her spine, as part of her brain tallied the supplies she remembered having. "_Oh please... let me have another antidote... _Please..."

"Damn you!" the freak howled as his Voltorb finally gave up under the earthy onslaught. "I won't lose to you! Koffing, get them!"

"Chaz," Saylee yelled. "Finish it, won't you?"

"Can do," Chaz promised, flaring up. The freak's eyes suddenly bugged out as he calculated what would happen when white-hot embers met a Pokémon made primarily of unstable gases.

"Hang on, Sparta," Saylee said, grabbing a potion out of desperation. "We'll- we'll find you an antidote soon... it'll be okay..."

"Don't give me that shit," Sparta muttered. "Don't need y-your damn p-p-pity..."

"Shut up and hang in," Pedro yelled. "YOU MORON!"

Saylee winced as the freak's calculations played out. When she opened her eyes again, only Sparta hadn't moved.

"He's down too," Chaz said, hurrying back over. "Was too close to his Koffing and got caught in the blast..." he froze, looking down at Sparta. "...Dammit."

{}

{}

_TEAM ROCKET MURDERED MY POKÉMON! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. In reality, Sparta's death was more of a sacrificial blow; my party was in the red, and if I switched Sparta out, whatever I replaced him with would almost certainly die. By leaving him out there, I had time to heal somebody else who could finish the battle. That was an awful moment. As for Rachel... I was very fond of her, and she had a ridiculously good critical-hit rate. Unfortunately, that seems to be a species trait... Rachel wasn't the first or last Pokémon that I lost to a wild Rattata getting a critical hit at the wrong moment._

_At least I got Geoff. Geodude is one of those Pokémon that I always get on playthroughs of this game, just because it's a good solid rock-type. On my previous playthrough of FireRed, my Golem was a key member of my team. Same with Miranda; I do actually tend to buy that Magikarp, because it allows me to get a Magikarp much earlier than is otherwise possible, and despite the quad damage it takes from electric moves, I just bloody love Gyarados._

_Name: Geoff. Species: Geodude. Nature: Sassy. Ability: Rock Head._

_Name: Miranda. Species: Magikarp. Nature: Hardy. Ability: Swift Swim._

_RIP Rachel the Rattata, lvl 3-15._

_RIP Sparta the Spearow, lvl 8-13._

_I'd also like to give a special shoutout to Lolly-chan. We're _that_ kind of best friends, the one that sit on the wavering line between best friends and lesbian lovers ;) Happy 19__th__, Lolly! Seeing Fright Night together was epic fun :D_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	7. Chapter 7

_Pokémon: 4 Deaths: 4_

"Right, this is the last one," Saylee said, lowering herself over the ledge carefully. "No going back after this. Ready, guys?"

"'Course," Geoff grunted, floating over the ledge and letting his own weight drop him down. "C'mon, gal, we ain't got all day!"

"Of course we do, fatass," Pedro teased. "It's a great day, perfect time to hang around and train a bit! Whaddya say, doll?"

"Sounds like a plan," Saylee said, dropping down the ledge and then releasing Miranda back from her pokéball, where she'd temporarily been placed for ease of movement. Saylee knew that most people kept their Pokémon in their pokéballs all the time, as a matter of convenience, but she knew she'd feel lonely without them, and anyway she wanted her team to have a rapport. She watched Chaz drop easily down the ledge, and then looked over Geoff and Pedro. Pedro was extremely close to evolution— he was just a plume short of being a Pidgeotto already. "Alright. What do you say we find something to fight?"

The area was mostly barren, aside from a fairly stagnant stretch of river from which Saylee refilled her filter bottle (Miranda apologized profusely and promised to evolve soon), but soon Pedro spotted some thickets of grass and trees in which wild Pokémon had probably nested. Not far in, they found a tangle of Rattata scrapping with each other.

"Are they fighting over food scraps?" Chaz asked, looking almost pityingly on the writhing mass of purple.

"Hold it, there ain't just Rattata there," Pedro said, peering at the fight. "Give it a scan, doll." Saylee clicked open her Pokédex, watching it scan over six Rattata and...

"You're right!" she gasped, examining the readout and watching a status bar drop. "That's an _Ekans_! They're quite rare!"

"So, spare that one?" Pedro asked, stretching his wings. Saylee nodded. "Sweet." His growing wingspan blew up dust as he shot over to the tangle, his sharp talons and beak flinging small purple rats out of the fight and smashing them to the ground. It took him all of five minutes to leave them in an unconscious heap, separate from the feebly stirring Ekans.

"Here we go," Saylee said soothingly, spreading some potion on Ekans' wounds. Pedro flapped over to her side, preening his new pink crest. "Wow, Pedro! Look at you!"

"Badass, bro," Geoff agreed, grinning at Pedro. "Just you an' me now, Miranda!"

"Congratulations," Chaz said, patting his friend on the head. "So, are we keeping her?"

"Let's see," Saylee said, smiling at the long purple serpent that was staring at them all in awe, particularly Pedro. "So, what's your name, sweetie?"

"Eliza," she said softly. "Thank you for saving me, ma'am... sir. I'm very grateful." She waved her tail in a funny little twist around her head, which Saylee's Pokédex informed her was a sort of salute.

"I'm Saylee," Saylee said. "That's Pedro. I'm his trainer. I'm... looking for new teammates right now. Would you like to travel with us?"

"Travel? With you?" Eliza looked them over, staring longer at Pedro, before blushing and nodding. "I'd love to! I-if that's all right."

"Nice t'meetcha, Eliza," Pedro said, nodding at her, before going back to showing off his new wingspan and feather colours to Chaz and Geoff. Eliza only looked away from him when Saylee spoke to her again.

"This is Miranda," she said, indicating the large orange fish in her arms. "That's Geoff, and Chaz. And, like I said, Pedro." She winked at Eliza. "Cool, isn't he?"

"Oh! Ummm... yes," Eliza said, slithering around to hide her head under the coils of her body.

{}

"Holy... is this what I think it is?!"

Miranda dipped her head into the pool. She was only a Magikarp, but she was still a water-type. "It's clean, Saylee. Completely clean. Ooooh, it tastes nice!"

"No shit," Pedro gasped, dipping his beak in the water. "How the hell'd they manage this?"

"Good question," Saylee said, emptying her bottle into the ground and refilling it from the clean spring. "There's got to be a market somewhere in Cerulean, I can ask somebody there."

"There's more plants around here, too," Chaz noted. "They look healthier. Cerulean could be a source of clean water for the whole country!"

"So why aren't they?" Saylee sighed. "Gahhh, everyone has such a... closed-in mentality! I wish people would trade more..."

"Ya gotta protect yer own, gal," Geoff pointed out. "Ain't nobody got time ta care 'bout anybody else."

"It's nice when they do, though," Eliza mumbled, licking a toothmark on her tail.

"Just a little trade in necessities could benefit _everybody_," Saylee fumed. "It's so _simple_!"

"Well then, doll, you gotta bring it up with whoever runs this joint, don't you?" Pedro pointed out, flapping his wings slightly to stay airborne. He could hover now, and was about ten feet above their heads, guiding them towards the Cerulean settlement. "Ah, this world's a craphole."

"Didn't useta be like that," Geoff mused. "Sure it didn't when we first went round the caves… everythin' was fresh caved in. Can't remember why, though…"

"You remember... Geoff, how old are you?" Saylee asked curiously. Geoff shrugged.

"Sixty... eight?" He hazarded. "Countin' by sediment layers. Just a rough guess."

"You're nearly _seventy_?" Chaz gasped. Geoff rolled his eyes.

"Ya organics, don't last no time at all," he huffed. "Coupla centuries ain't nothin' when yer a rock... course, ain't th' most interestin' life either." He laughed. "Had more fun the past coupla days than I ever had!"

"Do you remember exactly what happened?" Saylee asked curiously. "When... well, what happened?"

"Who does, gal?" Geoff reminded her. "Hell knows what it was. I only know it caved in th' caves, whatever it was… 'bout sixteen years ago."

"_Sixteen years... that's as far back as anyone can remember,_" Saylee thought, remembering the confused, whispered conversations of older members of the Pallet settlement. "_Some kind of earthquake...? But how would that make people lose their memories? What were we before? Did we even exist...?_"

"I'd never heard any of this before," Eliza said. "Mother never said anything like it, though she was only six years old..."

"I only have faint memories, since I was a baby," Chaz said, "but I know things were... different. Before."

"Me, I don't know shit," Pedro said. "Hell, I only hatched eleven months ago! Anyways... watch them bushes, and we're there!"

{}

"So there's two gangs around here," Saylee said, as she released her team again. She'd returned them to their pokéballs while she was in the marketplace; from the looks of her bag, she'd gotten a good deal on supplies. "The Nugget Bridge gang, and Misty's gang. They're really butting heads at the moment, I hear."

"So, whose ass are we kicking first?" Pedro asked. Eliza nodded enthusiastically.

"Apparently, Misty's responsible for the clean-water supplies," Saylee said thoughtfully. "More importantly, she has the upper hand right now. So we should probably take out the Nugget gang first. Besides, it seems they're hoarding gold nuggets."

"Real gold?" Chaz asked with interest. "You can trade that for a high price!"

"Don't see why, tastes shit," Geoff muttered. "Too damn soft an' chewy."

"Not all of us eat rocks, scree-brain," Pedro snarked, making Eliza giggle. Saylee grinned to watch Eliza slithering around after Pedro. She seemed really smitten with her saviour. It was really very cute.

"We have to head north to get to the bridge where the Nugget gang hang out," Saylee explained, slinging her bag up onto her shoulder and scooping up Miranda. "C'mon, we spent all afternoon yesterday training, so how about we go kick some ass?"

"Am I hearing you right? You're _looking_ for trouble? Yeah, _that's_ gonna set your mum's mind at ease."

"Blue," Saylee said, spinning on her heel and glaring at her occasional best friend and general worst enemy. "It's been a while. How are you and Sam?"

"Nearly ready to evolve," Blue boasted. "I think beating you ought to get us the experience we need!" He raised a pokéball, giving her a challenging grin. "Well? Or are you going to run away?"

"Oh-ho, _hell_ no," Saylee growled. Damn him for getting under her skin again, but she wasn't backing out now. "You're the one who should get out of the way right now, if you know what's good for you..."

"Yeah, right," Blue said, chucking out the pokéball and revealing a Pidgeotto. "Check us out!"

"Oooh, I've got one too!" Saylee said, petting Pedro proudly. "Hey, Blue... I think mine's bigger than yours."Blue's grin vanished as he scowled at her. "Sorry, I just had to say it. Geoff, you're a couple levels down, but with your new trick you can handle this, right?"

"On it, gal," Geoff promised, hauling up some large rocks from the ground. Pidgeotto's quick attack struck the slower Pokémon a couple of times, but did barely anything against his rocky hide. Geoff started throwing rocks, slamming into the Pidgeotto and knocking it to the ground. "One down!"

"I'm not done," Blue snarled, returning the Pidgeotto and releasing a Rattata. They all flinched at the sight of the purple rat, except for Eliza, the new acquisition, who looked worried at the expression on Pedro's face.

"Chaz, you can handle this, right?" Saylee asked. Chaz nodded, sharpening his claws and darting forwards. Razor-sharp fangs met steel claws, and while Chaz wasn't undamaged, he was larger and stronger and gave far better than he got. Rattata hit the deck first, but gently, merely unconscious.

"Dammit, how do you always _do_ that?!" Blue fumed, grabbing a third pokéball. "Sam, you're up!"

"Hey Chaz," the little turtle greeted them. She was larger than before, and her skin was darker, but she clearly hadn't evolved yet. "Check_ you_ out!"

"Check me out first, babe," Pedro said, shooting forward to the defence of his disadvantaged friend. His quick attacks were powerful, knocking Sam off her feet.

"Oh, cool your head!" she snarked, blasting a powerful jet of water at Pedro, knocking him to the ground. Before he could struggle to his feet, flapping damp wings t dry the feathers, she slammed into him in a powerful tackle. Pedro yelled in pain.

"Pedro!" Saylee yelled, clutching Miranda. Chaz was injured and at a major disadvantage, and Geoff was disadvantaged too, so Pedro had the best chance of beating Sam, but he couldn't fly with his wings soaked—

"Pedro!" Eliza yelled, wrapping herself tightly around Sam. "Leave him alone!"

"Hang in there, Eliza!" Saylee yelled, digging for potions. "I'll heal them up..."

"I won't let her go," Eliza said fiercely, looking more dangerous that Saylee had ever seen the gentle snake. She tightened around Sam's shell, but winced as it gleamed, Sam hardening her shell in defence. Sam's shell stopped creaking, and instead Eliza's began to bruise. Saylee sprayed potion frantically over Chaz, grabbing another for Pedro. "Hang in..."

"Sam, get that snake!" Blue ordered. Sam nodded, swelling up.

"Eliza, look out!" Saylee screamed, frantically yanking the cap off a potion and leaning over Pedro. His wings were almost dry...

"Water gun!" Blue ordered. Sam blasted Eliza's head at point-blank range, the water gun hitting with the force of a truck. Eliza immediately went limp, uncoiling from around Sam's shell.

"ELIZA! DAMMIT!" Pedro screeched, almost bowling Saylee over as he spread his wings again and shot forward to attack Sam. Her rock-hard shell was no good when Pedro pecked precisely at her soft head.

"Sam!" Blue yelled as his primary Pokémon collapsed. "Dammit..." his hand hovered over a fourth pokéball, but to Saylee's surprise, he dropped it again, returning Sam. "You got lucky."

"Hey, don't you dare hold back on me," Saylee complained. "You have something else, why won't you use it?"

"Because it's an Abra, okay?" Blue complained, shoving his hands in his pockets and stalking off. "You're not the only one hauling around a useless load."

"Hmph." Saylee tightened her arms around Miranda, but she couldn't help smiling a touch. "_If it's so useless, why do you have it? At least you're learning some patience..._" She turned back to her Pokémon, feeling her stomach drop in an upsettingly familiar way. Pedro was crouched over Eliza, one wing spread on the ground for her head to rest on. Purple blood was dripping from her mouth, sizzling slightly on his feathers, which he ignored.

"Hang in there," Pedro was muttering. "You did great against that drip..."

"I... did?" Eliza murmured weakly. Saylee tried spray potion across her bruises, but it did nothing. Eliza's healing factor had already shut down.

"Fantastic!" Pedro said desperately. "Amazing! Coolest thing I've ever seen! So you just hang in there so you can show us all again, alright?"

"...Glad I did well..." Eliza said softly, closing her eyes. "Glad you're... okay..."

After a few moments, blood stopped dripping.

{}

{}

_Dammit, Blue... I should've known a poison-type wouldn't be around long. They've so many weaknesses and so few strengths. Still, I've never used an Ekans before, and I was kinda looking forward to seeing what they can do. Guess I'll never know, now..._

_Name: Eliza. Species: Ekans. Nature: Modest. Ability: Intimidate._

_RIP Eliza the Ekans, lvl 12-15._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	8. Chapter 8

_Pokémon: 3 Deaths: 6_

The rumours were right; the Nugget Bridge gang was _weak._ In the mood that Saylee and her team were in after the battle with Blue, they would have blown the posturing gangsters apart anyway, but things just got worse after they lost Geoff.

"_I'm on a roll, gal! I'll handle anythin' they send at me!"_

"Not an Oddish," Saylee murmured, watching Chaz burn through a team of bugs. "You bloody fool."

Chaz and Pedro were now in towering tempers, to the detriment of any pathetic trainer to get in their way. Two deaths in a day had pushed them through the grief barrier to a directionless rage, and the Nugget Bridge gang was kind enough to provide them with a direction.

The leader of the gang was dressed like the thugs in Mt Moon. This definitely did not help his case.

"With your skills, you could be an executive!" the man yelled, backing down from a blazing Chaz. "You could go so far! We could— GAH!"

They watched him run off with his pants on fire. "I don't need _your_ help," Saylee muttered, sitting down heavily and hugging Miranda. Pedro landed next to her, nipping her on the cheek.

"We'll go far as we like, doll," he promised her. "We can do it on our own."

"I might have to do it on my own," Saylee sighed, the rage beginning to ebb after a very cathartic afternoon. "What the hell kind of trainer am I? I can barely keep my Pokémon alive for three days..."

"Hey, _we're_ still here," Chaz said, hugging her arm. Saylee could feel gentle warmth spreading through her. "Pedro and I've been with you from the start, and we're still here!"

"For how much longer?" Saylee whimpered, biting back sobs. "And what about you, Miranda? Can I really keep you alive for long enough for you to evolve? Maybe Blue's right— he's a way better trainer than me, none of _his_ Pokémon are dead..."

"Hey, don't get ahead of yourself, doll," Pedro said. "All we know's he ain't lost that tailfeather and the turtle. How do we know he ain't lost a ton?"

"He does seem to complain about his Pokémon a lot," Chaz said with a shrug. "He doesn't particularly seem like the type to care if he lost his Pokémon..."

"That's not true!" Saylee said sharply, biting her lip to stop the outburst. Pedro, Chaz and Miranda all stared at her. "Look, I know it's hard to believe, but Blue wasn't always a jerk..."

"You do have very nice memories of him."

Saylee shrieked and leapt to her feet, almost dropping Miranda in surprise. Pedro and Chaz both immediately leapt on the source of the voice, but they only collided with each other. Saylee stared as they swore at each other and struggled back to their feet, and then turned back around, shrieking again when she found herself face-to-face with...

...What? It was yellow, roughly the size and shape of a child, but with oddly-shaped limbs and head, yellow and brown with a long yellow tail. It was floating in the air in front of her.

"An _Abra_?" she gasped, clicking open her Pokédex. "Wow! You're a psychic!"

"Indeed," the Abra said. "My name is Alan." Saylee stared curiously at him; he had no discernible mouth, but speech was arriving in her brain nevertheless. Her memory heard the words, even if her ears didn't. "You are Saylee, and she is Miranda, and they are Chaz and Pedro."

"Nice to meet you," Saylee said. "I, uh... wow. This is amazing! You're so rare, most people _never_ see your kind..."

"Naturally," Alan said smoothly. "We come out when we wish to, that's all. I wanted to come meet you. I could see you holding some very shining memories in your head. I was curious about them."

"Shining, huh?" Chaz asked. "We were just asking about Blue. You mean you have _good_ memories about him?"

"Of course I do!" Saylee grumbled. "He's my best friend, after all. It's just recently..."

"He became a tailfeather?" Pedro asked. Saylee laughed.

"Well, yeah," she said with a shrug, and then sighed. "...I guess I was too, though. When we realized it had been too long since Red's last letter, I got really tense and worried... I lashed out at everybody, about everything. And, y'know, Blue being my best friend and all, he was on the receiving end a lot. At first he put up with it, tried to make it a joke, but I know I tested his patience, and goodness knows he never had a lot. Soon we were fighting, all the time. Then I said I was going to become a trainer, and he got _pissed off_ at me. He kept telling me that I had no idea what I was doing, that I was just going to fail..." she sat down again, stroking Miranda's fin. "Maybe he was right. I'm awful at this..."

Alan looked curiously from her Pokémon to her. "What do you mean?"

"Look at Geoff," she sighed sadly. "Decades, he lived safely underground. And then he's out of the caves with me for a few days..." she slammed a hand over her mouth to choke back a sob. "It's always like that..."

"Hey, don't put it like that, doll," Pedro said bracingly. "I mean, he didn't like talkin' about the caves much. Said only jack and shit happened down there, and he was havin' the time of his life out with us, remember?"

"All of your Pokémon are like that," Alan said. "More and brighter memories in their weeks with you than in the months and years beforehand."

"So what?" Saylee sniffed. "You mean a short, interesting life is better than a dull but long and safe one?"

"There's no such thing as a safe life these days," Miranda chipped in. "I mean, _I've_ had a longer life with you than I probably would have otherwise."

"And that short, interesting life leaves behind more than the long, dull one," Chaz added. "Come on, cheer up. We just need to play things carefully, and we won't have to worry about losing anybody else. Learn from our mistakes, right?"

"And what we oughta learn from Geoff," Pedro suggested, "is to play careful with types. Listen, doll, they said that other gang plays with water-types, am I right? So at the moment, I'm the only fighter who's not gonna get snuffed in there, and I'd kinda like some real backup." He flapped his wings at Chaz's tail pointedly.

"I would like to offer that backup," Alan said, floating over to hover over Saylee's lap. "That is why I am here."

"Really? You would?" Saylee asked in surprise, rubbing her eyes. His face didn't change, but something about Alan suggested a smile.

"Of course," he said. "I think it will be... interesting."

{}

"I do not know anyone down here particularly well," Alan said as Saylee pushed into the long, dry grass. "Our community is a little... out of the way. We only come out for a mind that we really like."

"Hey, did that patch of grass just move?" Pedro asked, flapping over to a small sprout. Chaz followed more cautiously.

"Probably," Alan said. "It is not grass. It is an Oddish."

"An Oddish?" Chaz asked. Saylee flipped open her Pokédex, showing him the display image. "Oh, right. A grass-type?"

"Perfect," Pedro said, biting down on the leaves and yanking them out of the ground. The little blue Pokémon came out of the ground with a yell of pain.

"There!" Saylee yelled, throwing a pokéball. Taken by surprise, the Oddish vanished instantly, in a flash of red light. "Good. She'll be _very_ handy, I think, when fighting the Cerulean gang."

"Her name is Olivia," Alan commented. "She dreams of blooming."

"Blooming, huh?" Saylee reopened the pokéball, allowing the little grass-type to reappear at her feet. Olivia shook herself, before staring up at Saylee steadily.

"Who're you?" she asked, looking around. "And who're these guys? Why'd you yank me out the ground? I'm trying to grow!"

"Sorry about that, Olivia," Saylee said. Olivia stepped back, unnerved.

"How'd you know my name?" she asked suspiciously. Saylee nodded at Alan, who bowed his head slightly. "Okay. You know my name. Who are you?"

"I'm sorry, that is rude of me," Saylee said, crouching down to be closer to Olivia's level. "My name is Saylee, and this is Miranda and Alan. They're Pedro and Chaz. I'm sorry for waking you up, but I'd like to make you an offer."

"An offer?" Olivia asked curiously. "What kind of offer?"

"She's a trainer," Chaz said, stepping up to Saylee's side. "She helps Pokémon grow. She helped me grow up from a little Charmander, and she helped Pedro grow up from a scrawny little Pidgey." Pedro made a jerky little flapping movement with his tail feathers that Saylee had come to recognize as the avian version of the middle finger.

"So... you could help me grow into a Gloom?" Olivia asked, sounding interested. "What's in it for you?"

"Well, first off..." Saylee stood up, looking at the shifting, watchful figures on the path ahead. "You help me take out these Hikers. Then... well, we'll see what we can do to get you, Alan and Miranda stronger."

"Sounds good to me," Olivia said with a bright grin, rustling her leaves. "This sounds like fun!"

"Fun's guaranteed, sprout," Pedro said, spreading his wings and taking off towards the Hikers, Olivia following at a surprisingly fast tilt for her tiny legs. Saylee and Chaz ran after, with Alan appearing and reappearing every few feet to keep up with them.

"Focus on that, Saylee," Chaz said, grinning at his trainer. "Let's have what fun we can, for however long we can."

Saylee nodded, managing to bring up a smile. "For starters, it looks like Olivia is having a _lot_ of fun with that Onix..."

{}

Olivia winced, wiping sweat from her brow with her stubby new arms. Taking out that kid's Sandshrew had been a piece of cake, but a hard couple of days of training and her evolution a couple of fights ago were taking their toll on her. She was _exhausted._ And she didn't like the look of that Ekans at all.

There was a rising glow behind her, and then a tall golden creature strode past her, raising a spoon like a weapon against Ekans.

"Thank you, Olivia," Alan said, his voice somewhat deeper and thicker now. "That gave me the energy I needed. I will handle this for you."

"Be my guest," Olivia said, stepping back to watch Alan wreak psychic havoc on the poisonous snake. Saylee stroked her flower bud proudly, balancing the now extremely large Miranda awkwardly on one arm.

"This is fantastic, Olivia," Saylee said, sitting down next to her to watch Alan test out some interesting new powers. "Both of you evolved today! How do you feel?"

"_Amazing,_" Olivia said, stretching her arms and waving them experimentally. "I've never had these before! I have to say, I doubt I'd be evolved right now if I'd stayed in the ground." She hugged Saylee's leg. "Thanks, Saylee. I owe you."

"You _look_ amazing, Olivia," Miranda said enthusiastically. "I'm so jealous!"

Saylee smiled down at her, but her eyes were shining with sadness. She was kind of an odd human, Olivia thought. She seemed very scared a lot, very worried. Olivia could hear nervous tension in the pulse of her sap. What could she be scared of? Pedro and Chaz were both so strong, and so very protective of her. Maybe she was worried about having weak Pokémon that couldn't fight, like Alan and her and Miranda, but now she and Alan had evolved and it was probably only a matter of time for Miranda. Most of her Pokémon were powerful enough to protect her now; what could she be scared of?

"Whoooo, check you out!" Pedro said, flapping down to perch on a scraggy bush next to Saylee. He rubbed his beak against his wing to wipe off whatever he'd caught while out hunting, and then looked from Olivia to Alan. "You evolved too! Sweet! So, you capable of anything interesting now?"

The mate (or potential mate? Humans had so many different stages of this kind of thing, it was very complicated) of the boy they'd been fighting screamed angrily and released two Oddish. Alan levitated them, slammed them into each other, and dropped them unconscious to the ground, all without turning around or moving much at all aside from waving his spoon slightly.

"You could say that," Alan said pleasantly. Pedro laughed, and looked down at Olivia. "You learn any new tricks, sprout?"

"Sure," Olivia said, grinning back and fluffing her bud. "Want me to stun you, or knock you right out?"

"That's a hell of a pickup line, sprout," he laughed, before Chaz smacked him absentmindedly on the head. Chaz then tapped Saylee on the arm, pointing at the sun.

"We should probably start making camp, Saylee," he said. "It's getting late."

"Hey, I saw a house up the hill, for what it's worth," Pedro volunteered. "Pretty old and it looked kinda empty, but hey, shelter, right?"

"Perfect! Lead on," Saylee agreed. To her surprise, Olivia found herself suddenly light on her feet, and then not on her feet at all. Miranda floated past her, laughing as she "swam" through the air. Olivia looked at Alan and saw him wink at Saylee.

They made their way up to the large, dark building. Olivia frowned at it. She was pretty sure there was a human living there; light came out of the building at night, which only happened to buildings with humans in. But now it was dark and silent.

"There's something inside," Alan said, stopping abruptly. "It's... something strange."

"A human?" Saylee asked, grabbing Miranda out of the air as Chaz stepped protectively in front of her. "Or a Pokémon?"

"...I don't know," Alan said, clearly at a loss. "I am sorry. Perhaps my powers are not fully developed yet..."

"Or maybe," Pedro said, fluttering over to the door and peering through the keyhole, "there's somethin' in there that ain't either." He frowned. "There's _somethin' _movin' around in there..."

"Okay, then... Alan, get ready to open the door," Saylee ordered. "Olivia, stay close to me. Pedro, Chaz..."

Chaz nodded. "When he opens the door, we'll charge. Got it."

"Ready?" Alan asked, raising his spoon and twisting it slightly. The door swung open. "Go!"

Something loomed out of the darkness.

{}

{}

_ATTENTION, WORLD! THE GLORIOUS KEY-CHAN IS A DEEPLY AWESOME PERSON! She has drawn fanart of Saylee and Chaz :D You know the drill; remove the spaces and . _

_ art /Chu -s -Nuzrun -Saylee -and -Chaz -263237364_

_Anyway, I tried to end this chapter on an epic cliffie, but it's probably just cheesy since I expect that you know full well what's in there XD Sort of._

_I have no excuse for Geoff's death. It was a ridiculous oversight on my part. Nearly thirteen years and I don't know better than to pit a Geodude against an Oddish?! I'm sorry, Geoff. I'm sorry._

_Name: Alan. Species: Abra. Nature: Quirky. Ability: Synchronize._

_Name: Olivia. Species: Oddish. Nature: Bold. Ability: Chlorophyll._

_RIP Geoff the Geodude, lvl 8-16_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	9. Chapter 9

_Pokémon: 5 Deaths: 6_

"Pl-pl-please! Leave me... **fai... faiiii...** leggo... please... **Cleee...**"

"Saylee," Chaz said, not letting go of the _thing_ he'd pinned, "Please... tell me that the Pokédex knows what this is." He was staring in some horror at his captive, along with Pedro, who'd wrapped his talons around its neck and didn't seem to know where to look.

"It will not know," Alan said, a moment before Saylee clicked open her Pokédex. "It is not... a Pokémon..."

"Errr... it seems to think it's a Clefairy sometimes," Saylee said, watching the flickering display in confusion, "but... sometimes it's not..."

"I'm... human..." the figure pleaded in a pained, breathy voice. "But... **clee...** went wrong..."

"Pedro, Chaz, let it go," Saylee said, setting Miranda carefully on top of Olivia's soft bud and stepping protectively in front of them. "I get the feeling it's not a danger, except maybe to itself."

"Thank... **fai...**" as Chaz and Pedro stepped back, glaring watchfully, the thing staggered to its feet. This seemed to be causing it some difficulty because one leg twisted and shrank below the knee into a little pink paw. One arm looked almost like it had been cut off at the shoulder, but by the movement under the sleeve Saylee guessed that it too was a little pink paw instead of an arm. The head was deformed, misshapen, messy brown hair and pink curls mixing and falling over human eyes. There was no nose and a fanged mouth. The ears stretched into black-tipped points; Saylee was horrified to spot red stains on the floor around it, the back of his shirt dripping where wings and a tail had attempted to grow and nothing had fit back together quite right. It coughed into its human hand, and more blood appeared there. "**Clef**... sorry," it said, catching her expression. "Things don't... **fai...** fit right... diff... rent... **clefcle...** bodies..."

"What _are_ you?" Saylee demanded as the figure swayed on the spot.

"...Fixin' machine," it muttered, waving the stained human hand towards two dusty cylinders on the opposite wall. "My... **clefairy...** got into... other... **cle...** cylinder... went wrong... have to... **fairy...** separate..." It coughed again, bringing up more blood, and then collapsed to the floor.

"No!" Saylee darted over to its side, ignoring Chaz's warnings. She tried feeling for a heartbeat, but the thing's chest felt odd, the heartbeat wild and erratic. "What the hell do we do?"

"It said something about a cylinder," Olivia piped up. "Maybe... if we put it back in and reverse whatever it did?"

"Would that work?" Miranda asked dubiously, yelping a little when Olivia shrugged.

"We have to try," Saylee said desperately, slinging an arm under its human shoulder and trying to lift it in a way that wouldn't tear up its damaged back too much. There was so much blood...

_Rachel was bleeding, blood on fangs..._

_Eliza was coughing up blood..._

_Fluid dripping from Wilma's shell..._

She managed to stand up as someone else took the thing's weight from the other side. Lifting her glasses to wipe her burning eyes, she lowered them back into place to see Chaz hauling the thing towards the cylinder.

"Come one," he said encouragingly. "Let's see if we can save this one."

They managed to haul the thing into one of the cylinders by the wall. It was dripping a distressing amount of blood from various mismatched body parts, but they managed to get it curled up safely enough, and the door closed. The machine lit up.

"Saylee," Alan said from a desk across the room. "This computer... I think it is connected. Look, there are the controls for the machine."

Saylee hurried over to the computer. The screen was covered in complicated coding. "Alan, I can't understand this."

"I will tell you what to press," Alan said, standing in front of the computer screen. "Just go stand by the control panel between the machines."

"You can _read_ that?" Pedro asked in surprise, landing on the desk. Alan shrugged.

"Letters are easier than minds," he said. "Right. Begin by twisting the dial on the far left... three-quarters of the way around..."

Saylee and Chaz moved dials and levers under Alan's instruction. At one point, Olivia ran out of the building with Miranda, and Pedro flew out to look after them; Saylee wanted to run too, from the noises that the machine was making, from the noises coming from _inside_ the machine, but every time she looked down she saw blood on the floor.

She was _damned_ if she was going to let anyone or anything else die if she had a chance of helping.

"Pull the top-left lever," Alan said after a while, "and then step back. It should finish the process and open the door..."

"Thanks, Alan," Saylee said, reaching to tug down the lever and then stepping back. There was a final flash from the machine, and then both doors opened. Saylee started towards the one nearer to her, the one that they'd dragged the thing into. Chaz started towards the other cylinder, but stopped abruptly as soon as he could see inside.

"Alan," he said levelly, "what happens if I close this door?"

"I do not know," Alan confessed, "so better not."

"Why, what's wrong?" Saylee asked, starting towards that door, but Chaz flung out an arm.

"Don't come over here!" he snarled suddenly, before relaxing slightly at her frightened look. "I'm sorry, Saylee, but just... don't come over here, okay?" He stepped over to the door, swiping his tail across the contents without looking too closely. Alan, meanwhile, had wandered over to the other cylinder, and now tugged Saylee by the mind back towards it.

"I am no human," he said, "but I am quite sure that humans should not bleed like that for too long..."

"No!" Saylee gasped, dropping to her knees in front of what was now, definitely, a human; a young man, mostly, with bloody running from his back and bloody stumps where his left arm and foot should be. "Chaz, go find if there are any clean cloths in this building! Hurry!" Chaz immediately ran off, scampering up the creaky-looking staircase. She dug into her bag, grabbing clean towels to wrap around bleeding cuts, a bleeding stump, staunching the flow...

"Hang on," she whispered. "Just... hang on. _Please._"

{}

"Thank you, thank you, _thank you!_"

"I-it's no problem, really," Saylee said as Bill gingerly but enthusiastically shook her hand. "I'm really sorry... about your arm... your leg… your _Clefairy..._"

Bill's grin faded as he carefully patted the bandaged stump that protruded slightly from his left shoulder. "It... could have been much worse. Both of us could have died. Both of us _would_ have died, if you hadn't come along..." he looked downcast. "It's my fault, really, for trying to fix this machine, trying to repurpose it..."

"What is it?" Saylee asked, looking nervously over at the now heavily stained cylinders. "What's it supposed to do?"

"Well, at first I thought it might be a teleporter of some sort," Bill explained, "for large, living objects. You know current teleportation technology isn't safe to use on living matter..."

"That thing don't seem to be, either," Pedro pointed out. Bill smiled weakly.

"Well, I found out that if I tweaked it, it _could_ be a teleporter," he continued, "but what it really is... well, it did its job on me, just botched it, that's all."

Saylee felt a chill crawl up her spine at the thought of the _thing_ that Bill had become. "It was... _supposed_ to do that?"

"But better," Bill said, nodding. "I found some research papers... this thing was a prototype for a device that would give human beings the powers of Pokémon."

"It would _what_?!" Saylee gasped, shooting to her feet. "_How?_ Why?!"

"How I've figured out, though not how to do it," Bill said, looking downcast. "It would take the Pokémon's life... deconstructing them and the human and restructuring the human while incorporating Pokémon DNA. Basically, it would fuse a human and a Pokémon, to make a human capable of utilizing the powers of a Pokémon— at the expense of the Pokémon's life. _Why..._"

"Why would they need to do that?" Chaz asked. "Pokémon have always been willing to fight for humans they respect, ones that they believe will help them grow. This would... remove Pokémon from the equation entirely, and destroy relationships between humans and Pokémon. Why would they do that?"

"I can only think that it would be necessary if relationships between Pokémon and humans were already dead," Bill said softly, "and humans had need to... defend themselves."

An ugly silence fell as they considered the implications of those words.

"But... that's never happened, has it?" Olivia asked quietly. "I mean... nobody's ever talked about that ever happening. It hasn't, right?"

Saylee thought about the gap never mentioned, the universal block in memory that nobody ever talked about, but everybody knew was there. What was on the other side...

"We'll take you down to Cerulean, Bill," Saylee said, standing up. "If we tell people there we beat the Nugget Gang, they should be happy to take you in and look after you."

"Thank you, but you don't have to," Bill said, shaking his head. "I promised to call my grandfather hourly with updates, and I haven't called him for over seven hours. He promised to fly over if I missed two calls in a row. He should be on his way now. When he arrives, we'll decide what to do with the machine."

"What are you going to do with it?" Chaz asked. "Destroy it? I'll help if you are. Happy to help."

"No, we'll just seal this place up so nobody gets into it accidentally," Bill said with a wan smile. "It's designed to deconstruct and reconstruct a person alive, which current teleportation technology can't do. If I can figure out the technology, we could be onto something useful. I'll have to come back to it someday, when I can..."

"You... really want to go back to working with this?" Saylee asked, looking at the bandages wrapped around his torso, his head, the stump of his left arm and leg. "After... this?"

"The technology that we're capable of is far beyond our current standard of living," Bill said, staring up at the sky. "I want to use the former to raise the latter. I know I can. So, why shouldn't I?" He smiled at Saylee. "We all need to do what we can to help each other, no matter what it is. How else can we pull through? I couldn't have survived if you hadn't helped me. Thanks again."

"Y-you need to stop thanking me," Saylee said, embarrassed. "I-I just did what anyone would do..."

"Anyone didn't do it," Bill said placidly. "Those hikers certainly didn't. So thank you. Anyway..." he rubbed his eyes. "Here, take this. I certainly can't make it now." Saylee stared at the small piece of paper that he was offering her.

"...What is it?" she asked, reading it. "S.S. Anne... who's that?"

"She's a ship," Bill laughed. "There's kind of... a technical convention going on there. I'm not the only one trying to harness the technology we have. I can hardly go to the party now, though. So why don't you? There'll be other trainers there, too. You look like you could use a little fun, too."

"Hey, that's great!" Chaz said. "It'll be great to relax, right, Saylee?"

"Yeah..." Saylee tucked the ticket away safely in her bag with her brother's letter. "Thanks, Bill!"

"Hey, that was _me_ thanking _you_!" he laughed. "Anyway, you'd better get going soon. It's getting late, and if you want to get back to Cerulean, you'll want to do it before it gets dark."

"I can't leave you here alone!" Saylee protested. "I'll stay until your grandfather comes!"

"No, trust me, you don't want to be up here when it gets dark," Bill said, shaking his head. "Especially not once I've sealed up the house and there's no shelter..."

"How about this?" Alan suggested. "I'll stay here and look after Bill. I can teleport down to join you when he's been taken away safely by his grandfather. How about that?"

"Good idea," Bill said enthusiastically. "Go on, Saylee. I trust _your_ Pokémon to keep me safe until then."

"You're sure?" Saylee asked uneasily. "I'd feel bad to leave you..."

"Awww, you know Alan'll look after him!" Olivia said encouragingly.

"And he's right... we don't want to be up here very late," Chaz pointed out. "We patched him up well, and he won't be out here for long. We need to get back to Cerulean and let them know to stay away from this place..."

Saylee sighed in resignation, standing up and patting Chaz on the head. "I don't think you quite _get_ humans yet, Chaz. Everyone'll be better off if we don't mention this place at all."

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_This chapter brought to you by _Night of the Chimera's Cry, _which I recently saw in English for the first time and, you can tell, has had a bit of an... impact on me. BRB, gotta go cry again. (Shou's fate in the first anime stuck in my head, too.)_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	10. Chapter 10

_Pokémon: 5 Deaths: 6_

They received quite a popular reception in Cerulean; things between the Nugget gang and Misty's gang had been tense, and knowing that the Nugget gang wasn't in any position to cause trouble for a while yet lifted everybody's spirits. Misty herself wasn't around— working on mapping the river to the east, apparently— but the rest of the settlement happily offered Saylee and her Pokémon food and lodgings for the night. After a couple of hours, Alan appeared, promising them that Bill had been borne away safely on his grandfather's Fearow.

The next morning, while eating breakfast, a man nervously tapped Saylee on the shoulder. "Excuse me, miss," he asked, "but them gangsters you beat up... they didn't have a little brown disc, did they?"

"Not that I found," Saylee said, shaking her head. "Just all those gold nuggets I sold yesterday."

"Stupid thieves panned those out of the water that _Misty_ cleaned up," the man growled, shaking his head. "Damn... somebody broke into our place last night, stole the TM for dig. Thought it must've been them, but..."

"Why don't we go investigate?" Chaz suggested. "It'll be something to do until Misty returns, right?"

"Good idea," Saylee said, handing back the bowl and standing up. "Where's your house?"

The place was, to put it mildly, a disaster area. The few pieces of furniture had been knocked over and even smashed, and a huge hole had been busted through the rear wall.

"We searched all over out there, but we never found any tracks," the man explained. "The path does just loop around to head back into town, though. They won't still be out there."

"Well, _someone's_ casting a psychic shield out there," Alan commented. Saylee stuck her head out through the hall, narrowing her eyes on a spot on the cliff face that Alan indicated.

"Alan, be a dear and break it down, will you?" she asked, carefully handing Miranda off to Olivia for safekeeping. Alan nodded, waving his spoon as if he was stirring the air, and the cliff face shimmered.

A cave appeared with a fat yellow-and-brown creature sitting in front, looking confused. It didn't seem to register what had happened very quickly— at least, not in time to dodge a fierce blast of embers to the face. When it collapsed, howling, a man in grubby black clothes ran out of the cave with a Machop at his heels.

"What do you think you're doing, bitch?!" The man yelled angrily. "You, Machop, karate chop her!"

"Attacking a trainer directly? That's playing dirty," Alan complained, waving his spoon again, causing the Machop to freeze in its tracks with a pained look.

"If he's going to play dirty, so will we," Saylee said, reading her Pokédex. "Chaz, finish that Drowzee. As for the Machop... Pedro, if you would be so good..."

"No problem, doll," Pedro said, flapping his wings and blowing the unfortunate fighter away. The man backed nervously towards the cave, but Chaz stepped into his path.

"Are you the one who stole the dig TM?" Saylee demanded.

"Look, just take it!" the man snarled, throwing the brown disc at her. "I ain't risking my neck for a cheap haul like this! I'm outta here!" returning his Pokémon, he bolted down the path. Saylee turned with a triumphant grin to the house, but the man and his wife had vanished.

"They, um, ran away when you knocked out the Pokémon," Miranda said nervously.

"Oh, sorry, you've been facing the wrong way this whole time!" Olivia said, turning her head so that the recumbent fish could look at their trainer. Saylee frowned.

"Why'd they _run_?" Saylee wondered, looking at the disc. "I had it under control..."

"I think they were scared," Alan said softly. "Not many people here train Pokémon. They got scared when they saw you in action. They're scared without Misty here to protect them."

"To protect them from _me_—?!" Saylee gaped. "But I wouldn't..." she bit her lip heavily. Chaz came over and put his claw on her arm comfortingly while Pedro hovered by her side and nipped her cheek, offering what encouragement they could.

"We know, Saylee," Chaz said gently. Saylee wrapped one arm around him and stroked Pedro's beak with the other.

"...I know," she said, letting go and stooping to pick up Miranda. "I just wish human and Pokémon being close wasn't such an... oddity." One hand swiped briefly across her face, and then she strode around the house. "Come on, let's see what's to the south of the town."

Pedro and Chaz glared briefly at the nonplussed Alan before following. He looked to Olivia for explanation.

"Humans are _weird_," she said, looking at the damaged house before following.

{}

"I don't get it," Miranda said eventually. Saylee had gone back into town alone to do a little more haggling, leaving her Pokémon sitting on the sloping field to the south of Cerulean. "She saved them... and that makes them scared of her?"

"Well, remember how the gang culture works," Chaz said despondently. "The people who control powerful Pokémon are in charge. We're more powerful than any of the Nugget Gang, therefore, with Misty out of town, Saylee's the most powerful human around. They're scared she's going to take charge."

"But... Saylee wouldn't just take over like that," Miranda said, still confused. Pedro pecked at her tail.

"Don't matter when people're scared," he said. "Hell, everyone's scared these days. Ain't enough food an' land ta go around, everybody can see it. Some dyin' out's gonna happen an' everyone's scared it'll happen to them. And, frankly, most humans are scared of Pokémon..."

"Nobody's scared of me," Miranda said glumly. Olivia gave her a little hug.

"Give it time," Alan said. He was probably trying to cheer her up, but the ramifications managed only to make her more downcast.

"I hope Misty comes back soon so we can talk to her and get moving," Chaz complained. "She'll be the only one to definitively know if Red ever came through. Then we can get moving..."

"Where to?" Olivia asked. "The mountains path to the east is all overgrown, and down here there's just a couple of buildings and, uh..."

"Yeah," Pedro said grimly. "_Uh_. Better tell her 'bout that first thing when she gets back."

"It was the same colour of human," Miranda whimpered. "The black humans that killed Rachel..."

"And led the Nugget Gang, and stole that TM," Chaz agreed. "But the guys down there... they looked far tougher."

"They had more Pokémon on their belts," Alan murmured. "High-powered ones, too. We cannot go straight south, not as we are now."

"The humans have a passage, y'know."

The group all turned to stare at the small white Pokémon that had slunk up to them. He was skinny, with a round white head, pointed black ears and a large scar between them. He was also pawing at something small and round and wrapped in blue paper. "Who are you?" Chaz asked, automatically shifting to protect Olivia and Miranda, the most vulnerable, from the stranger. "And what do you mean by passage?"

"Oh, I'm Melvin," he said, scratching at his ear with his long black paw. "I've heard the humans talking about an underground passage around here, somewhere. They use it to get past those black humans down there. Those humans, they're more brutal than an angry Gyarados; even other humans're scared of them, y'know?"

"We noticed," Chaz said softly. He glanced at Alan, who shook his head; he hadn't sensed any lies in the little Pokémon's words. "Do you know where it is?"

Melvin's ears drooped, wincing as the weak link was struck. "...no. It's well hidden, some human trick, prob'ly. The human with the orange fur on top, she knows where it is. I've seen her leading other humans to it, but she's got powerful Pokémon and they always beat up any wild Pokémon spying on 'em. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Miranda piped up. "It's good to know that there is another way, right? And that orange human, that's probably Misty, isn't it? When Saylee beats her, we'll be able to go through! I can't wait to tell her!"

"You don't have to," Alan said, indicating the approaching blue-and-red figure.

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"Oooh, that feels nice!" Melvin sighed as Saylee rubbed some medicine into his scar and scratched his ears. "Thanks a ton, missy! You're real nice for a human. The ones up there, they just throw stuff at you if they see you, and as for the black humans, well..." his ears twitched inwards for a moment, towards his scar. "They take what they want. And they're tough."

"So there is a bigger operation going on," Saylee mused grimly. "I wonder how far it's spread... who's involved..." she shook herself, scratching Melvin's ears again and inspecting the candy carefully. "From what the Pokédex says, you're a Meowth and this is a drug frowned upon by all half-decent trainers."

"Not gonna comment on those black humans, missy," Melvin purred. "Stole it from them. They steal all sorts anyway, someone oughta steal from them, right?"

"Right," Saylee laughed, checking her Pokédex. "Hmmm... before long, you'll learn pay day, which is definitely going to come in handy. I get the feeling you're lucky, Melvin, and I'm glad you want to hang out with us." Melvin grinned, purring as she scratched a particularly sensitive spot under his hear. "So, what interests you, aside from stealing?"

"Eh, I'm pretty simple," Melvin said with a shrug. "Shiny things and round things that roll around. I'd love to be able to go into a human nest, a big one all lit up, without someone throwing stuff at me."

"Well, I've heard the Celadon settlement's in quite good shape," Saylee laughed. "It's said that at night it outshines the stars. Would you like to see that?"

"I'd love to!" Melvin gasped. "Oh, _please_ let's go! _Please_, missy?"

"Of course," Saylee giggled, patting him on the head and looking up at said stars as they emerged. "Maybe that's where we'll end up when we find this tunnel, and we'll find the tunnel after we beat Misty, I'm sure. The people say Misty'll be back in two days, so let's get some sleep now and hit the grasses to train like stink tomorrow, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am," they chorused, settling down for sleep.

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"It's kinda nice having you here," Miranda said tentatively as she, Melvin and Olivia sat on the sidelines, watching Saylee work with Chaz, Pedro and Alan against a group of Oddish a couple of days later. "Now I'm not the only one who hasn't evolved yet."

"I dunno if I want to evolve," Meowth said thoughtfully. "I mean, I've met Persian, and they're _gorgeous,_ but they're all so _mean_."

"I don't think you could get mean," Miranda said. "And I don't think I'll ever be as scary as Gyarados are meant to be..."

"No way, you're gonna evolve into a _Gyarados_!" Melvin said excitedly. "No _way_! That's so _awesome_! Right," he suddenly decided, getting up, "we need to help you get there. C'mon, Olivia, let's go train together!"

"But..." Olivia said nervously, looking at their trainer as Melvin put Miranda on her head. "Shouldn't we wait for Saylee? It'll be our turn soon..."

"We can train at the same time," Melvin said enthusiastically. "We're short on time, anyway, since Misty gets back later. We won't go far, and c'mon, you're stronger than most of the wild Pokémon around here. It'll be fine!"

"Well... okay," Olivia agreed reluctantly, following him away and looking again at Saylee, who was absorbed in a fairly tense struggle between her Pokémon and two other Meowth. "But we won't go far, right?"

"Promise," Melvin said. "C'mon, Miranda, let's get you evolved!"

Alan's gaze briefly slid in their direction, before being distracted by a belligerent Pidgey.

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_I adore Melvin. He brought me four rare candies and three TMs in quite a short space of time. Pickup is FANTASTIC :D_

_Name: Melvin. Species: Meowth. Nature: Bashful. Ability: Pickup_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	11. Chapter 11

_Pokémon: 6 Deaths: 6_

"Gyaaaaah!"

"Melvin!" Olivia screamed as the Pidgey hit him hard. He was bruised and bleeding and clearly at his limit, so she turned to run and get Saylee, but Melvin yelled at her to stop.

"I can do it, Olivia!" Melvin insisted, baring his fangs and preparing to bite. "Miranda needs this to evolve! We're almost there!"

"Melvin, NO!" Miranda yelled, struggling to flop over to her friend. Melvin darted forward. The Pidgey was quicker.

"MELVIN!" Two female voices screamed. Melvin collapsed under the final blow and did not move again. The Pidgey landed by his body, very weak but victorious. Miranda's scream continued, warping oddly as her body suddenly _stretched, _the hue shifting as her body changed through sheer rage.

"Olivia!" Saylee screamed, running up and dropping to her knees by her grass-type's side as she spotted Melvin. "Wh-what... what's going on?"

"Is that... _Miranda?_" Chaz said in awe.

Miranda was glowing and growing, larger and larger, her body extending into a massive serpent that roared in anger. The Pidgey tried to flee, but it barely had time to spread its wings before jaws as tall as Saylee snapped around it.

The Gyarados roared at the sky, before swinging her head down to stare at her suddenly much smaller comrades.

"Miranda…"

Miranda looked down to where Saylee had crawled to Melvin's side and was now cradling the little white body, liberally stained with red, in her arms. "Saylee…" she rumbled, her voice deeper and louder. "Is he…?" Giant tears began to hit the ground like rain around Saylee.

"You… evolved… that's great…"

"Melvin!" Miranda roared, leaning down to look closely at Melvin. "Hang on… we'll get you to a Pokémon Centre… Alan can teleport us, _can't you_?!" she snarled, swinging around to glare at the psychic, who stepped back nervously but nodded. "So hang on…" a little paw touched her lower lip.

"I'm really glad… I could help… look at you…" he said, smiling. "Sorry… can't learn Pay Day… could use the Potion money…"

"Don't, Melvin," Saylee sobbed. "You wanted… to go to Celadon… you have to go to Celadon with us…"

"You'll go… won't you?" Melvin said quietly, voice fading as his paw slipped. "Miranda… everybody… you can… do it… great team… the best... you can do it… you…"

The deafening, horrible silence that followed was shattered by Miranda's anguished roars.

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"They said there was a talented little girl hanging around."

Misty wasn't particularly old herself, but she was in charge so she needed to act like she was. Accordingly, she did not react when the brunette looked up at her, even though she could see what was burning in that girl's eyes, hidden by her glasses and hat. Misty reached for her pokéballs. This girl probably wasn't leaving without a fight, and damned if it looked like it wasn't going to be pretty.

"I want to know if you've seen my brother Red," the girl said, standing up, her feet still dripping from dangling in the water, "and I want to know where the underground tunnel is. I think you can tell me. Are you going to?"

"I don't have to tell you anything," Misty scoffed.

"I thought not," the girl said, her hand flicking away from her waist at the same moment that Misty released Selena, her Staryu. She found herself facing a Gloom, which was not a good way for a water trainer to start a battle.

"Rapid Spin!" she ordered, knowing that hitting a grass Pokémon with a water attack was akin to hitting a fire-type with dry wood.

"Bullet Seed!" the girl commanded in response. Selena was faster than the Gloom and struck first, but all that meant was that Gloom was able to hit Selena at close range. Under the barrage of high-velocity seeds, Selena collapsed, its core glow fading.

"Selena, return!" Misty said, keeping her voice firm and trying not to panic for her Pokémon. Her crew had been watching the challenger and sniggering, but the sniggers had faded in favour of grim looks. Misty got pissed. She was _not_ going to be shown up like this, not again. Time for the big guns; Selena's parent, a Starmie. "Go, Sadira! Psychic!" The girl gave some command at the same time, but it didn't matter; once more, Sadira struck first.

The Gloom screamed and collapsed under the psychic onslaught, rolling to the edge of the pool and lying still. The girl frantically ran to check on it and then, sighing in relief, returned it. "Good going, Olivia," she whispered to the pokéball before switching it for another. "Time to get serious, am I right, Miranda?"

Misty gaped. She couldn't help it. On the plus side, her crew was also too busy gaping to notice it. And there was so much to gape _at_; when was the last time that a Magikarp had lived long enough and been powerful enough to become a _Gyarados_?

And the damn girl was sitting there on its head, smiling vaguely at Misty. "Bite," she ordered, almost absentmindedly. The Gyarados roared and chomped down heavily on Sadira.

"Sadira, hide underwater!" Misty ordered quickly. Sadira slipped out of the monster's fangs and slipped into the pool. Hiding under there, it could regenerate, and...

...floated back to the top a moment later, core flickering erratically and making odd whimpering noises.

"Olivia dropped some Poisonpowder into the pool before I returned her," the girl explained, stroking her Gyarados' head fin. "Your Starmie's poisoned. You purified the water in this town of much worse than a puff of Poisonpowder, you can do it again before anybody else gets into this water, right?"

"You _poisoned_ it?" Misty growled, returning her Starmie. "That was dirty."

"So's the water, now." The girl slid down her Gyarados' back and returned it, walking over to Misty. "I'm sorry for that. Clean water's a rare and precious thing. Whatever you did to it, I'll bet powerful water Pokémon were involved, so Miranda and I will be happy to help out once you tell me what I want to know. Oh, by the way..." she held out her hand, suddenly smiling innocently. "My name's Saylee. Nice to meet you!"

A little taken aback, Misty shook the hand. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about someone who could smile like that while carrying a Gyarados, so she decided to try the litmus test.

"Misty, but I'm sure you already know that," she said. "Now... I assume you want to know about the underground passage because you can't get past Team Rocket?"

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"For what it's worth, I apologize for treating you harshly when you arrived," Misty offered. The two girls were in Misty's private pool in the back of the gym, more like a large bath tub which had become a hot tub when Chaz had gone down to the furnace beneath. Misty had been delighted to find that Saylee owned a fire-type, mentioning that she had once been friends with a fire trainer whose Growlithe had often slept down there, heating up the pool. Relaxing in the hot water, both of them were feeling far more amenable towards each other. "I couldn't be sure that you weren't a Rocket in disguise, you see. But the Pokémon you use and the way you use them made me quite sure that you weren't... few Rockets call their Pokémon by their names..." she leaned back, propping up her head on her arm, and grinned at Saylee. "And I have to say, the utter _hate_ in your eyes when you realized who I meant by "Team Rocket" really isn't something I think you can act."

"That Nugget leader did try to recruit me," Saylee said with a shrug. "Suffice it to say, he didn't make a very good offer. Or put up much of a fight."

"Heh... shows that I'm a little out of my league with you," Misty sighed, rolling her eyes. "I do appreciate you running them out of town. I'm sorry that everyone got scared of you, but you have to understand that those Rockets have been an absolute terror, and the more powerful ones don't wear that black mook garb to make them stand out, as you probably noticed at Nugget Bridge." She gazed morosely into the lightly steaming water. "They used to run this town, before Red came through."

"So he _was_ here!" Saylee couldn't help exclaiming. "He got rid of them?"

"Brilliant trainer, your brother," Misty opined. "I was much weaker then than I am now... only had Sadira, and she was just a Staryu, but I helped him out a bit. Kind of how I ended up in charge, but the group up at Nugget Bridge never left completely. The last I saw of him, he was headed south to Saffron, but I heard from a few other major trainers about him. Y'know, at one time, four of the major gangs were working together across the continent."

"Really?" Saylee said in surprise. "I thought most settlements kept to themselves."

"They did, but Red came through and kicked everybody's _butts_," Misty laughed. "Made a few of us keep in touch, and a few of us still do, though some of them— like that rockhead Brock, I saw you had his emblem— decided to go back to playing king-of-the-hill." She scowled, lifting her head off her arm. "But I've kept in touch with Erika, who mostly runs Celadon, and old man Fuji in Lavender."

"Sorry, but what do you mean by _mostly_ runs?" Saylee interjected. Misty crossed her arms, scowling even more viciously.

"The Rockets have moved in there," she growled. "They're increasingly taking over parts of the town. Celadon's a town in pretty good shape, you know; the people living there haven't really had to struggle for resources for a while, and when Erika took over things got pretty peaceful. She's a nice lady, but unfortunately she can't _really_ fight worth a damn. She can't drive them out and they're driving her people into fear. They run Saffron entirely, too, and they've blocked off the only four paths into the city that _don't_ go through toxic wasteland. These guys are _big_, they're organized, and trust me, they're not all as useless as that thief you fought or the idiots in Mt Moon. And they're _brutal_. They're drawn together by their cruelty and greed and kept together by fear of their boss."."

"I noticed," Saylee said softly. "Did Red go after them?"

"Last I heard, yeah," Misty confirmed. "Then everybody just stopped hearing from him. Alliances fell apart without Red wandering around as an intermediary and the Rockets started spreading again."

"And that's when the underground tunnel was built?" Saylee asked. Misty nodded.

"I forgot to mention that I swap messages with Lt Surge in Vermillion," she said. "Every so often a Farfetch'd pops out of the tunnel with messages. I don't mind telling you that he's trying to train everyone in his town to work with Pokémon, as a counter-militia to the Rockets, but it's taking time. Building up a trusting friendship with your Pokémon takes longer than making them fear you."

"Worth it, though," Saylee said firmly.

"I knew you'd say that," Misty said with a friendly smile. "My advice for now is to take the tunnel south and meet Surge. You can't get to Saffron, but there are paths to the east of Vermillion that can help you get to other places."

"Hey, Saylee?" Chaz called up. "Didn't Bill say Vermillion's where that party is?"

"That's right..." Saylee remembered, thinking of the ticket sitting in her bag. "Vermillion sounds like our next stop, then."

"I'll take you out after darkness falls, so the Rockets don't see us," Misty promised. "Vermillion's a lovely place, right on the ocean… well, I'm sure it would be lovely if the water wasn't so polluted. If I could get my Pokémon powerful enough to clean those waters..." Cleaning the pool that Olivia had dropped poison into had taken seconds once Sadira was healed. It turned out to not be Miranda's assistance that was needed, but Olivia's. A girl in the town had several Oddish that were able to drain the powder from the pool with their roots. Still pools were easy to keep clean, but running water, full of acid rain falling on the slopes of the mountains, were another matter entirely.

"Or maybe I should head west," Misty added thoughtfully. "There's said to be a Pokémon living out there that can purify water with a touch. That would be brilliant, wouldn't it?"

"Definitely sounds like it'd come in handy," Saylee laughed, relaxing back in the hot water. "Thanks a ton, Misty. We'll move out tonight."

"No problem, Saylee," Misty said warmly. "I owe Red a lot, and he had some ideas, about how much better off everyone would be if they worked together, people and Pokémon alike." She tilted her head back, staring up at the gym roof. "Well, I guess he really wanted everyone in Pallet to be looked after, which would be a side-effect of uniting the country, but it's a nice ideal, anyway."

"It is," Saylee agreed, "And I'd love to see it happen, but I have to keep up my priorities."

Misty nodded. "First... finding Red. If you ever need a hand, though, don't be afraid to give me a shout. You have a Pidgeotto, right? Send him with a message. I promise, we'll be there to help." She held out her fist to Saylee, who grinned and bumped it.

"Thanks again, Misty," she said. "For everything."

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_I really, really hate critical hits. I hate everything just now. Especially the medical limits on ibuprofen. _

_RIP Melvin, level 12-16._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	12. Chapter 12

_Pokémon: 5 Deaths: 7_

"Aaaaah, fresh air!" Saylee sighed as they reached the surface. The underground tunnel was long and pitch-black, and even though they'd started down it around midnight, the sun was setting as they finally surfaced. They found themselves in the middle of a field of thick, coarse grass, but there was a clear path south through it.

"Mmm... what's that smell?" Chaz said curiously, sniffing the air. Saylee sniffed too, and caught the salty tang that she had smelled only once before, a long time ago.

"It's the sea!" she sighed. "Not exactly drinking water, but we'll see if it's clean enough for Miranda to have a proper swim in!" She smiled as she patted the huge water-type's pokéball. "In fact, I think I'll let everyone out on the beach. A bit of fresh air and a chance to relax'll do everyone good, right? Misty said they'll let us stay here a couple days if I show them her emblem." She examined the deep blue, droplet-shaped symbol that she'd pinned next to Brock's badge.

"You're in a good mood," Chaz said brightly. Saylee glanced at him and shrugged, still smiling.

"I'm trying not to let it get me down," she said, "and things are looking up, you know? I remember passing by these settlements as a kid. Nobody let anybody else in, they were too busy scrounging. Some places seem like they're doing pretty well these days, and some are even trading with each other... and Misty said it was because of my brother..." She started strolling down the worn path through the rough grass with Chaz trotting along by her side.

"Is that it?" Chaz asked as they passed by a small pond. Across the pond, they could see high fences surrounding wooden buildings. They skirted the pond's edge and found themselves at a locked gate. The fence around the settlement was metal, and Chaz sniffed at it nervously.

"I think this is..." he tapped it with a claw and jerked back with a hiss as the fence flashed and crackled. "An electric fence!"

"Are you okay?" Saylee asked, checking his claw. "Misty did say the place was well-defended against Team Rocket..."

"Hey, who're you?" a voice called out. Saylee looked up and saw a short girl with long brown hair jogging up to her. The girl stopped on the other side of the fence, pushing her glasses up her nose and glaring warily at Saylee. She was wearing a short red skirt and a white shirt with a red collar like a sailor's. At her heels was a fluffy orange-and-white Pokémon that sniffed in Chaz's direction.

"Hey there, fireball," she said, sitting back on her hind legs. "Tried to touch the fence, did you? Idiot. Rick over at the gym keeps thousands of volts running through it!"

"Hey, you're a Flareon, aren't you?" Chaz said in surprise. "We saw a picture of you at Bill's!"

"So we did," Saylee said, clicking open her Pokédex. "He said you were one of his favourites, but that you were thought to be extinct..." The Flareon scratched at her ear with her hind leg, grinning smugly.

"Ex_cuse_ me," her trainer pouted, stepping protectively in front of her Pokémon. "You didn't answer me. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, forgive my rudeness," Saylee said, putting her Pokédex away. "I'm Saylee, and this is Chaz. We came from Cerulean. We're friends with Misty." The girl still looked suspicious, but when Saylee showed her Misty's teardrop emblem, she immediately brightened up.

"Oh, I see!" she said, looking down at her Flareon. "Flo, can you go ask the Lieutenant to drop the power for a minute so I can open the gate?"

"No problem," Flo said, winking at Chaz and strutting off. The girl, looking more relaxed, strolled over to the lock on the gate and waited patiently for the voltage to drop.

"Call me SG," she said, waving at Saylee. "And that's my Flareon, Flo!"

"How did you get her?" Saylee asked excitedly. "They're so rare!"

"It's a long story," SG giggled. "Isn't she _gorgeous_? I'm so proud of her!" She hopped a little on the spot, squeezing and hugging her arms as if she wished she could be hugging her Pokémon.

"She's lovely," Saylee agreed with a laugh. "Is she powerful?"

"Err... I don't know," SG confessed, looking embarrassed. "I don't really train her to battle... we're not really fighters." She pushed her glasses up her nose again nervously.

"Hey, no need to look ashamed!" Saylee exclaimed. "Besides, if she fought, she might mess up that gorgeous fur of hers, right?" She added, nudging Chaz. If he was blushing, it was indiscernible on his red skin, but he got a funny expression on his face.

"Hey, is the voltage going down?" he asked, pointing at the gate. A yellow spark shot across it and vanished. SG nudged the gate with her foot, smiled in satisfaction as she failed to fry, and then twirled the lock on the gate to undo it.

"The electricity will come back on in thirty seconds," she said, pulling the gate open. "C'mon, I've gotta lock it! Hurry up!"

"Thank you!" Saylee said as she and Chaz hurried through. "Most welcoming place I've been in a while."

"Well, you'll be pretty popular around here," SG said, indicating Misty's emblem on Saylee's bag strap. "She has a few emblems, you know? That one means that you've fought Team Rocket, and I'll tell you now that _they _don't have a lot of fans here. The Lieutenant's basically locked in war with them. I got Flo when he broke out a ton of rare Pokémon that they had imprisoned." She smiled a little sadly. "They were all locked up, barely fed properly..."

"Oh, no," Saylee gasped. Chaz looked sick.

"Yeah, but now they're all free, and they've got new homes," SG said happily, watching Flo scamper back towards her. "Hey there!"

"I talked to Rick and the Lieutenant, and they're having a hard time finding somewhere for her to stay," she said, nuzzling her trainer's legs and falling into step at her side. "There's a lot of trainers in from out of town just now, you know? And the only free rooms on the Anne have been reserved by important people..."

"Anne?" Saylee said, digging in her bag for the ticket Bill gave her. "Hey, Bill gave me this ticket for the SS Anne!"

"By Bill, you mean... the engineer Bill?" SG asked curiously. "Isn't he coming anymore?"

"He had an accident," Saylee said sorrowfully. "An experiment of his went wrong. His Clefairy died and Bill was horribly injured. His grandfather came to take him home."

"Wait... Clara _died_?" Flo gasped, stopping dead. "No way!"

"Flo..." Noticing her Pokémon's upset, SG crouched down and put her arms around Flo.

"I'm sorry," Saylee said wretchedly. "I got there too late to really help them..."

"No, I'm sure it wasn't your fault!" SG said, bouncing to her feet. "Well, if you saved Bill's life, that makes you a double-hero! C'mon, I'll take you to the club. You can hang out with us for a bit!"

"The club?" Saylee asked.

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"They're so CUUUUUUTE!"

Saylee gaped as her Pokémon were immediately pounced on by the people crowded into the large clubhouse. It was made of driftwood, so the entire building smelled of sea salt. There were dozens of people inside and they were now all over Saylee's Pokémon. Olivia and Chaz were on the receiving end of the most hugs, while another group was cooing over Pedro's crest. He'd looked flattered at first but was quickly growing irritable. Alan had been hijacked by a group of kids who were being wowed by his psychic abilities and a group had gone outside with Miranda to stare in awe as the huge Pokémon got into the sea for the first time, casually knocking side every Grimer that crawled her way. The fact that she seemed to prefer lolling in the shallows and humming happily didn't seem to put them off at all.

"Everyone here loves Pokémon," SG explained. "Some of yours are pretty rare, too. They're really all fighters?"

"Well, yeah," Saylee confessed, staring at the contrast between her battle-hardened Pokémon and the relaxed Pokémon that the club members owned. Pedro was staring in some confusion at a female Pidgeotto who was grooming her glossy feathers; she almost looked like a completely different Pokémon from the scarred, scruffy Pedro. Flo was letting SG brush her fluffy tail while she watched the club squee over Saylee's Pokémon.

"This place is fantastic, Saylee!" Olivia said brightly, hopping onto her trainer's lap, followed by a small fanclub who were discussing the rich colour of her flower bud. "They all think I'm gorgeous!"

"You _are_ gorgeous, Olivia!" Saylee said, hugging her little grass-type. "Why would you ever think otherwise?"

'Well... come on, Saylee," Olivia complained sadly. "When Alan and Miranda evolved, they got really _cool_, you know? And I got... well... _ugly._" She looked down at her stubby little hands. "I kinda wish I could go back to being an Oddish... but it makes me happy that they still think I'm pretty, even when I'm stuck like this!"

"Oh, Olivia..." Saylee cuddled her closer, turning Olivia around to face her. "You _are_ pretty. You've _always _been! And you don't have to be a Gloom forever if you don't want to, don't you know?"

"What?" Olivia said in confusion. "But... I saw others evolve. They never evolved again."

"That's because Gloom don't evolve on their own normally, right?" SG cut in. "You need an elemental stone! I had to use a Fire Stone to evolve Flo."

"What's an elemental stone?" Olivia asked, confused.

"Special stones with an odd power," Saylee explained, stroking Olivia's petals. "Gloom only evolve if you use a Leaf Stone. When they do, they become a Vileplume!" She clicked open her Pokédex and showed Olivia a picture of a Vileplume. Olivia's eyes widened.

"That flower's _gorgeous_!" She gasped. "Is that gonna be _me_?"

"If I ever find a Leaf Stone, I promise it's yours," Saylee said, snapping her Pokédex closed and letting Olivia's fans cart her off.

"Saylee's taken to researching all of the Pokémon she catches," Chaz said quietly to Olivia. "She's terrified of losing anyone else. She wants to know all she can about what we can do so that she doesn't have to lose anybody else."

"You guys love your trainer a lot, huh?" Flo said, trotting over and curling up comfortably. "She seems like a real sweetheart."

"Uh, yeah, she is," Chaz said, looking at Flo. "What about your SG?"

"Oh, she's _lovely_!" Flo crooned. "I just _adore_ her. After doing time in that Rocket hellhole, any human would be an improvement, but SG has been so sweet." She smiled a little, putting her head down on her paws. "After being raised under Rocket "care", I was a frightened, feral little rat when the Lieutenant busted us all out."

"You?" Chaz said in surprise, yelping when Flo licked his paw.

"You're sweet too," she cooed. "When the people here were adopting all of us rescued Pokémon, nobody really wanted to adopt me; I know I was too much trouble, biting everyone who came near me and refusing to eat. I probably was just going to be left to die, but... Flo took me in." She smiled at her trainer; the petite girl was chattering happily with Saylee, whose hat she seemed to have stolen. With her glasses and brown hair, she looked pretty much the same as Saylee would if she had longer hair. "She was really patient, and really kind. She managed to convince me that every human who came near me _wasn't_ about to kick me, even though she ought to have after all the times I bit her. Then she found me a fire stone so I could evolve..."

"So did a lot of the Pokémon here belong to the Rockets?" Chaz asked, looking around.

"Pretty much all of them," Flo said, flicking her tail. "And the Rockets ain't happy about it, hence the fence. But trust me, the Lieutenant doesn't plan to let them get away with it for much longer. And I know we don't look like fighters like you do, fireball..." she flicked her tail across Chaz's foot. "But we're not defenceless. And we're not going back."

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_This chapter goes out to StargateNerd, as a thanks for the lovely oneshot she wrote for me and the juicy one she's promised to write ;)_

_So, it's been a while... I had horrible flu last week. Half of my course did. It was one of those awful things that made you dizzy whenever you stood up and turned your brain to cotton wool. Every time I booted up Microsoft Word, I'd just stare at the document for ages while my brain went "hurp-a-derp... what are word?" I spent most of the week watching YuGiOh GX, which probably didn't help improve my brain functions. (I only watch it for the script, which I swear sounds like it was written by LittleKuriboh at times. And the vast amounts of Ho Yay that Jaden produces. Seriously. Every male character in the cast has had Ho Yay with him. Though every time he says "bro" I want to kill him a little more.)_

_So, nobody died this time! On to the SS Anne, then._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	13. Chapter 13

_Pokémon: 5 Deaths: 7_

Saylee drifted awake to the sound of a foghorn revving up. She blinked at the white blur before her, and groped to her right for the bedside table, running her hand across the smooth surface and swearing when she found it completely empty.

More feeling around the head of the bed found her bag strap and she dug blindly inside of it until she found a pokéball. Praying it wasn't empty, she pressed the button, and sighed in relief as red light flashed and a coloured blur weighed down the end of the bed.

"Mornin', doll," Pedro's voice said. "How'd you sleep?"

"Oh thank goodness," Saylee sighed. "I slept great, Pedro, thanks. The boat rocking on the waves was actually kinda restful. But the problem is, I think the rocking knocked my glasses off the table— can you see them anywhere?"

"Yep, just a mo." There was a flapping noise and colour moved; a moment later, she felt the familiar weight of Pedro settling on her knee as colour filled her vision again, and when she held out her hand he gently set her glasses in them. Clutching them like a precious diamond, she clicked them open and put them on. The world came into blessed focus, and finally she could see the sparse but clean room in the SS Anne, and Pedro sitting on her knee with a bemused expression.

"Thanks a million, Pedro," she said, stroking his beak. "I'm pretty much blind without these. You're lucky your species isn't prone to eye defects."

"No problem, doll," Pedro said, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the petting and making a slight cooing sound that he would never admit to making. "Where are we, anyways?"

"The SS Anne," Saylee said, looking around as the room rocked slightly. Pedro didn't seem to notice; the small up-and-down motion probably wasn't much to a Pokémon used to the forces of wind and air currents working from every direction. "After I put you guys in your pokéballs to escape the club, SG and Flo showed me the way to the ship. They've been using it as a kind of dorm house while it was being built, but they finally finished it about a week ago and from the sound of that foghorn all the tests have gone 's not leaving until tonight, so I figured I'd look around."

"Leavin'?" Pedro asked, cocking his head curiously. "Where the hell's it goin'?"

"Other countries," Saylee said with a shrug. "They've spent more than ten years repairing this old ship, SG said, and stocking it up. They only managed to put it in the water at all about three years ago— the water used to be polluted enough to corrode the hull… Many of the people on here are refugees who just can't live here anymore, some are trainers, and most are hoping to find other countries that are more developed, that might send aid back— especially help fighting Team Rocket."

"You've talked 'bout "more developed" countries before," Pedro said, scuffing his talons idly. "Whaddya mean by that, anyways? All the buildings stone? More food?"

"I... guess." Saylee frowned, shrugging. "I don't know. I just feel like... not everybody lives like this. Like there's a better way of life. Everyone does, but nobody really remembers living a life like that..." She shrugged, sitting up and digging in her bag for her brush, dragging it through her hair quickly. "There are geography books that have maps to other countries, but a lot of them are a good twenty years old, so who knows what they're like now, or…"

"Or if whatever happened here didn't happen to them too," Pedro agreed. Saylee stood up, slipping her feet into her shoes and reaching down to tie them on.

"Anyway, shall we go meet some of the globetrotters?" She suggested.

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There were quite a number of people on board with Pokémon, some of whom challenged Saylee to casual fights. On the main deck, there were battles all over the place, as well as a few people sitting around the edge fishing off the railing. There were also tons of people that, like the club in Vermillion, weren't into fighting, including a little girl who was running all over the place with her Wigglytuff. Saylee had never seen so many _people_ in such a small place, and they were from all over; one scruffy man with long hair claimed to be from the Safari area north of the Fuchsia settlement, and a sleepy guy with glasses showed her a drawing of a gigantic, fat Pokémon that had apparently blocked a road to the west.

"So how come some people are leaving and some aren't?" Miranda asked late in the afternoon. Saylee was hanging around on the deck with a group that she'd met who were making bets with each other on how many days it would take to find another country. She'd let out her Pokémon to have a doze on the deck around her and Miranda was resting her huge head on the railing on the edge of the deck while splashing around in the waves.

"Basically, it's just who wants to leave and who doesn't," Saylee said with a shrug. "SG told me that some people don't think things are any better anywhere else, and some of the more paranoid think there _isn't_ anywhere else. Quite a lot of people want to stay here, think things could be good if people work together and we get rid of thieves and bullies like Team Rocket." She stretched, cracking her arms. "Which is something _I'd_ like in on, don't know about you."

"Hey, sounds good to us," Chaz volunteered, lazily waving a claw at her.

"Sleeping on the job, huh, Saylee? Just like you!"

Saylee closed her eyes, thumped her head off the deck, and then sat up, swivelling around to glare at her worst frenemy. "So, Blue, you off to see the big wide world?"

"And then who'd look after Pallet, I'd like to know?" Blue shot back, hands shoved in pockets as he looked down at Saylee. She stood up, resenting his air of superiority. "I came to visit the Captain. He's supposed to know the secret Cut technique, you know, one that might be able to clear out some of the overgrown areas. Really, though, he's just an old guy with his head over a bucket in his room!" He laughed derisively, making Saylee scowl.

"That's rude, Blue," she complained. Her Pokémon had all been stirred from their dozing and were standing up, glaring at Blue like their trainer. Noticing their hostile looks, Blue withdrew a pokéball from his pocket.

"Well, then, how about we deal with this like trainers should?" He challenged, tossing out the pokéball. As usual, he was starting with Pidgeotto; Saylee privately had to admit that it was good tactics, as of course she had no electric-type or ice-type on her team and she no longer had a rock-type. Still, type advantages weren't everything.

"Chaz?" She said, looking at her main Pokémon. He nodded back, strolling forwards with claws bared, tail flaring. Pedro glared at the rival Pidgeotto, scuffing the deck in a way that made his talons as visible as possible.

"What happened to your Geodude?" Blue asked.

"…Geoff's gone," she said, swallowing a lump in her throat. She refused to cry in front of Blue. He'd just call her weak, and she didn't want to be called weak for missing her Pokémon. "Eliza, too. My Ekans."

Saylee wouldn't look at Blue, so she didn't see him flinch. He shook himself when his Pidgeotto nipped at his ankle. "Sand Attack, Pete!" he ordered. Chaz threw up his arms to cover his eyes, ducking under the spray of sand.

"Ember!" Saylee ordered in retaliation. Chaz immediately spat hot embers all over the Pidgeotto— Pete— at point-blank range. The flying-type screamed in pain. "Now, Mega Punch!"

"Pete!" Blue yelled, glowering at Saylee as he returned the now unconscious bird. "Fine. Get out there, Rick!"

"He evolved, huh?" Saylee said, looking over the large, snarling Raticate and waving at Chaz to stay forward. "Good for you!"

"He's not the only one," Blue said, "but I'm afraid you won't get to see the rest! Hyper Fang!"

"Metal Claw!" Saylee ordered quickly. Chaz slashed out with his steel-hard claws in time to meet the vicious fangs. He escaped the worst of the bite, but his claws came away with blood on them. Saylee wasn't sure if he'd been bitten on the hand, if he'd slashed something soft inside of Rick's mouth, or both.

"Ember!" she commanded. Chaz spat out more embers, burning at Rick, who squealed in agony and recoiled. "Now, Mega Punch again!"

"Hyper Fang again!" Blue ordered. The two clashed again, and both came away looking worse for wear, though Rick collapsed while Chaz remained standing.

"Chaz, you can take a break," Saylee said, returning him to his pokéball at the same time as Blue returned Rick, scowling darker than ever.

"Alright, you asked for it," he growled, releasing, to Saylee's surprise, a Kadabra.

"You too?" Saylee squealed, grinning at Alan. "Hey, Miranda, I think this one's best for you, okay?"

"Sure!" Miranda said, rearing up as Saylee stepped aside so as not to be between her and her target— the sailors had already explicitly forbidden Miranda's vast weight on the deck.

"Disable it quickly!" Blue ordered. His Kadabra raised his spoon, glowing with power. Miranda winced as the power gripped her.

"Can you still bite?" Saylee asked. Miranda nodded, snapping her jaw. "Then get to it, girl!"

Miranda darted forwards, snatching up the Kadabra in her huge jaws. Saylee stepped back as a spoon clattered to the floor at her feet; shaken about, Kadabra had lost his focus. Miranda set him down on the deck, where he scrambled almost blindly for his spoon.

"Adam! Dammit!" Blue yelled, returning his psychic. "Fine. Check Sam out!"

"Wow, she evolved!" Saylee yelped, watching the larger, darker turtle materialize. She caught the looks her teammates were giving her at her squealy fit. "Sorry. Olivia, you want a go?"

"Sure!" Olivia toddled forwards, leaves brightening in colour as she drew up energy.

"Water gun!" Blue ordered. He probably expected his first Pokémon's most powerful attack to do some damage, but Olivia merely smiled as the water soaked into her flower bud.

"Come on, Blue, have you never fought a grass-type before or something?" Saylee taunted. "You _do_ know where plants get their energy, right? In this case, from you. Absorb!"

"Hi there!" Olivia said in her typical friendly fashion as she darted forwards with surprising speed and, before Sam could dodge her, grabbed her new tail. It began to glow green as Olivia drained energy.

"Get _off_!" Sam yelled, waving her tail around in an effort to throw Olivia off, but the grass-type just clung on. Sam's struggles soon weakened and died as she ran out of energy and passed out.

"Dammit! Not _again!_" Blue yelled, returning his last Pokémon and storming off.

"His problem's haste," Saylee remarked, watching him go. "He's _always_ been like that. He always shows his hand first, making it easier for me to strategize against him."

"Yeah, doll, but I'll tell you somethin' I didn't know before," Pedro said, flapping over to perch on the railing at her side. "Didn't know Pete's name, or Adam's. Didn't know he knew his guys' names. How long's he been doin' that?"

"... I don't know." Saylee leaned on the rail, looking down into the murky water. "I didn't think he'd bother to learn his Pokémon's names. I'm glad he did."

"Well, you learn something new every day, eh?" Alan said, idly levitating a stray spoon from the deck and twisting it in the air.

"…He didn't know that he'd killed Eliza, either," Chaz murmured, putting his claw on Saylee's arm. "Do you think he meant to?"

"…no, I don't," she said softly. "He might be a jerk… but I don't think he ever would."

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"Okay, that doesn't smell good," Chaz said as they approached the Captain's door. "Um, is it safe for me to take my tail in there?"

"Yeah, I think I might bring Olivia instead, if that's alright?" Saylee said, opening Chaz's pokéball. Covering his nose, Chaz nodded and waved at her to return him faster. When Olivia appeared, she didn't notice the smell over the scent wafting from her flower bud.

"Blue said the Captain was sick..." Saylee commented, cracking open the door and peering inside. She winced at a horrible retching sound, followed by a sickening _splat_.

She crept into the room, picking up Olivia and holding her close to her nose. Gloom weren't the sweetest-smelling Pokémon on the planet, but she was still better than the pungent stink of the Captain's vomit. Saylee spotted him bent double over a bucket next to a bed.

"Sir? Captain?" She called. "Are you alright?"

He straightened up a little, beginning to turn around, but the ship rose and fell on the waves again and Saylee only got to glimpse the sickly green colour of his face before he whipped back around and retched again. Saylee slapped a hand over her mouth, telling herself not to be sick herself.

"Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth," she said soothingly, parroting her mother's advice from whenever she'd been ill to the point of vomiting as a child. "And keep your eyes closed, looking at your boak won't make you feel any better." She reached out and began rubbing his back in small circles, trying to soothe his breathing. She heard him breathing heavily, gripping the sides of the bucket shakily. It seemed to work as the next time the ship moved he didn't vomit, just breathed a little faster.

"Don't hyperventilate," she cautioned, holding Olivia under his nose. He began to calm down as he smelled her scent, returning to a normal colour and breathing more calmly. A few minutes later he felt well enough to sit on the bed, still breathing carefully but looking much better.

"Thank you so much," he sighed, rubbing his stomach gingerly. "I didn't think it would hit me this bad... I'm sure it's nerves about the journey as much as anything else."

"Glad to help," Saylee said encouragingly. "Are you alright now?"

"Yes, absolutely fine, thanks to you!" The Captain shook her hand vigorously. "I have to thank you... here, maybe this will do."

He withdrew from his pocket a thick, blank, silver disc.

"What's this?" Saylee said, looking it over. It resembled a TM, but the disc was much sturdier and the Captain hadn't written what it was on it.

"That's my Cut technique!" the Captain said proudly. "You can cut your way through any tree or bush with that... it's a very specific technique, but very useful where the path is overgrown. I'm sure you can put it to good use. It works just like a TM."

"Wow, thank you!" Saylee said, handing the disc to Olivia and shaking the Captain's hand. "Thank you so much." She caught sight of the clock on the wall. "Oh, we'd better go. We're not travelling, I gave my room to another refugee, but it was fun to look around!"

"I couldn't convince you to trade me your lovely Gloom?" the Captain said, shaking Olivia's paw too. Olivia blushed under the praise and Saylee smiled at her as she picked Olivia up.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I promised to find Olivia a Leaf Stone," she said, heading for the door. "And she's my friend, so I won't let anything happen to her until I do."

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_Hello again... thought I was gonna get more writing time with NaNoWriMo abandoned and two modules ended, but the other two modules both demand essays and a lot's going on in the Christmas runup... so no. DX_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	14. Chapter 14

_Pokémon: 6 Deaths: 8_

"Why's she so sad?" Daisy asked, wiggling her snout towards the girl who was sitting on the edge of the bridge, morosely dangling her feet just over the surface of the water. Chaz had gone over to sit with the human— Daisy hadn't been with the team long, but she could already tell that the fire-type was deeply attached to his trainer and couldn't stand seeing her depressed. It was her sad thoughts and the immense feeling of her Pokémon's love for her and desire to cheer her up that had drawn Daisy to her, but she wasn't good enough at mindreading yet to tell just _what_ was making the nice human girl so sad. Olivia and Miranda exchanged sad glances while Pedro scuffed the ground, looking pointedly away from her, but Alan waved his spoon at her, glowing slightly as he opened a psychic link.

She saw the little Diglett who had offered to show them the way through the tunnel to Pewter. She saw the other Diglett appearing, crowding them, trapping them as a Dugtrio attacked the little Diglett over and over and Saylee was powerless to help him or call out another Pokémon into the cramped tunnel to defend him. She saw Saylee's grief and rage as the little brown Pokémon vanished forever underground and those feelings being transferred to Miranda, who rampaged through the cave on a wave of water that washed away any other Diglett or Dugtrio that came near them.

"And for what?" Pedro was grumbling under his breath. "Fuckin' thief traders... got an HM outta it, yeah, an' that shiny rock, but hell, had to bully Brock into takin' in those thieves an' busting their asses... least he kept up the deal to send meds to Pallet."

"Diglett have... a very strong sense of community," Daisy ventured cautiously. "They look down on anyone who tries to leave the community. I guess that's what... Doug?... helping you looked like to them."

"Fuckin' teamkillers..." Pedro grumbled. Miranda set her head down on the boardwalk, looking sorrowfully at her trainer. Chaz was sitting with his claw on her arm, apparently talking to her even though they were too far away.

"She always blames herself," she said sadly. "She couldn't have known that would happen to Doug. _He_ offered to help _us._ He was such a sweet little guy... didn't deserve that..."

"Hey, is that SG and Flo?" Olivia said, pointing at the maze of grass that they'd passed through earlier. A long-haired girl was pushing out of the grass, some of it being burnt aside for her by her Flareon.

"Hey, guys!" the human said brightly, bouncing over to the little gathering. "Hey, Alan! Pedro! Miranda! Olivia! And, uh... wait, I don't know you," she said, looking at Daisy, nonplussed. "You're a Drowzee, right?"

"My name's Daisy," Daisy said shyly. "And you are SG or Flo?"

"I'm SG, and this is Flo," SG laughed. Flo had nodded to the group in greeting, but was looking in concern at Chaz and Saylee.

"What's wrong with your girl?" she asked, trotting forward slowly, uncertain about whether it was safe to approach the pair.

"We met a Diglett, but lost him almost right off," Pedro said shortly. "I ain't gonna cry over a guy I didn't even meet, but it ain't fair on her, dammit."

"We were training around here, and tried to check out the boardwalk to the east," Alan explained. "But... there's a problem."

SG nodded. "The Snorlax, right? We tried everything to shift it. The Lieutenant must've sent a million volts through it. All it did was scratch its belly and roll over." She shrugged.

"Great," Pedro complained. "Anyway, when's that Lef guy get back?"

"You mean Lieutenant Surge?" SG said, and then gasped. "Oh! That's what I came looking for Saylee to tell her! The Lieutenant's back from his recon, and he's all revved up for a battle if she wants one!"

"I think you should go on over," Miranda said. Saylee had noticed SG and was waving at her. "Maybe a decent battle will perk her up."

SG bounced off, Flo at her heels. For some reason, Alan was grinning at Pedro.

"Pedro," he said amiably, "You do know that Lieutenant is a title, not a name? It denotes a higher position in a human pecking order."

"I knew that," Pedro said after a long moment of not looking up at Alan while staying very still. "Obviously. Stop statin' the obvious and go bend spoons or whatever the hell it is you psychics do."

Alan's moustache twitched as he kept grinning. "Come on, Daisy," he said. "You want to do some training before we fight Surge?"

"Um, sure," Daisy said, following him loyally into the grass. Alan was a far more powerful psychic, and she respected him a lot. She could tell he was going to be a powerful member of the team, far more powerful than she would ever be, but maybe she could learn something from him.

{}

_Saylee_...

Saylee broke off in mid-laugh as the voice drifted through her mind. She'd managed to cheer up chattering to SG and giggling together as they watched the comedy routine of Flo flirting with Chaz and Chaz stumbling around in confusion as a result, but now there was a leaden feeling of apprehension forming in her stomach, prompting her to look around. Olivia was sitting at the water's edge and chattering to Miranda while Pedro sat nearby, dismembering and devouring something he'd hunted, but Alan and Daisy were nowhere to be seen.

_Saylee... I'm so sorry..._

A moment later there was a flash of light— teleportation. Relief washed over to Saylee, turning to sickening fear when only Daisy appeared from the light, panic in her eyes.

"S-Saylee!" she sobbed, running to her trainer and tugging her arm. "W-we have to h-help him! Your p-p-potions! Please!"

"Where's Alan? What's wrong?" Saylee demanded, jumping to her feet and beginning to run as Daisy tugged her towards the grass, moving rapidly for her stout figure. Chaz and Olivia were running behind her, and Pedro abandoned his catch to shoot up into the air, circling as he peered keenly into the grass.

"W-we went t-t-to train h-he said it w-would b-b-be fine a-and it was w-we fought all th-th-these Ekans and won a-a-and this k-kid appeared a-and I think h-h-he thought we were w-wild a-and he set h-h-his Raticate on us a-and Alan st-stepped in a-and he was a-about to w-w-win but it _bit_ him a-and, a-and, the blood, the _blood_..."

Pedro suddenly dipped and shot downwards into a patch of grass just ahead of them. Saylee let go of Daisy's paw and burst forward, pushing through the rough grass far faster and with less care than she ought to, ignoring the cuts and scrapes on her arms. She shot out of the grass with too much momentum, her sharp stop causing her to pitch forwards onto her hands and knees.

Her hands landed in blood.

Psychics were powerful, but physically frail. Alan was desperately weak to bites. And Raticate were so very good at critical hits.

"A-Alan..." she choked out, reaching out to grasp the bloodstained spoon that had fallen to the ground from his limp hand, then cradling his large yellow head in her lap, ignoring the blood dripping from the neck wound. Her shorts were red anyway.

"Saylee? Saylee! Sayl—" SG cut off with a sharp gasp as she too trotted out of the grass, clapping her hands over her mouth in horror at the sight of the still Pokémon that Saylee was cradling. Daisy and Olivia were both crying. Pedro was gawking in horror and confusion. Chaz's face was unreadable, but his tail was flaring up almost out of control. "Is... is he breathing...?"

"Alan..." Saylee whispered, shaking her head. She bowed her head, shaking it harder and harder, his name the only word she felt capable of saying. "Alan... ALAN!"

"I amm sorry, Saylee."

She stopped breathing as she looked up sharply, looking around wildly for the source of the voice. It was Daisy, whose eyes were glowing as she stood stock-still, no longer crying.

"Alan..." she said again, reaching a bloodstained hand pleadingly towards Daisy.

"I have put myself in Daisy for a little while, but it will not last," Alan's voice said sorrowfully. "I am so sorry, Saylee. I just wanted to take Daisy, to train her, so that we would not risk losing anyone fighting Surge. I did not wish for you to have to go through this again, Saylee. I screwed up. I am so sorry. I am so sorry..."

"Don't..." Saylee choked the words out around the sobs pushing their way up her throat. "I should've noticed... should've been there to help... I..."

"You did _nothing wrong_, Saylee," Alan said, Daisy taking a clunky and unstable step forward. "We are not brainless babies who must be watched at all times to stop us from eating rocks by accident. I should have known better, and I did not, and for that, I am really, truly sorry, Saylee..." his voice was fading out.

"Hold on!" Chaz said, running over to Daisy. "Just hang in there, Alan! You don't have to go! Daisy worships you, I'm sure she'd be willing to share her head with you..."

"She would, I can see," Alan said, ruefully, his voice ever quieter, "But it is not my choice. I do not have the power left to stay, no matter how much I wish to. I can give a little more power to Daisy, that is all..." his voice warped, and Saylee sobbed loudly as it stopped abruptly, but then it came back.

"Do not give up, Saylee," he said, every word strained. "You have so much to give, so much you can do. We all love you so much, Saylee. For us that love you... please, do not cry for me, and do not stop... keep going... so much left... good... person... love... you..."

The glow faded from Daisy's eyes and she blinked in confusion as her sight cleared, in time to see Alan's body dissolve into flecks of light.

SG dropped down at her friend's side, cradling her as she sobbed. Daisy sat down heavily and Pedro nipped both her and Olivia on the cheek as they cried, clacking his beak irritably in between. Flo padded over to Chaz, whose claws were gleaming silver and whose tail flame was almost taller than him and turning blue.

"What are you thinking, fireball?" she asked quietly. He didn't look down, his gaze focused like a laser on his weeping trainer.

"Kid with a Raticate," he growled, "ring any bells?" His voice was low and frightening in its intensity. Fire-types were volatile in general, but Charmeleon were more uncontrolled than most, Flo knew. Maybe Chaz wasn't _intending_ to do anything permanent to this kid or his Raticate, but she was damn sure that he wasn't going to be able to stop.

"Maybe," she said, "but I'm not saying a thing until I'm certain that you won't put a damn metal claw through the poor boy's head as soon as you see him."

"Poor boy, my ass," Chaz growled, rage bleeding through in his tone. "He deserves to pay for this."

"He will," Flo assured him. "But not like this. The Lieutenant doesn't look kindly on the killing of other trainers' Pokémon, but he also isn't a fan of people getting killed, even stupid kids who don't know when to back off."

"I don't give a damn," Chaz snarled, cracking his claws. Pedro was looking at them, watching his friend closely. The others didn't seem to notice his near-meltdown yet.

"You should," Flo said sharply. "You wanna get yourself killed? Yeah, _that'll_ really brighten up your girl's day. Oh, and then she'll get kicked out of town for training up a people-killer, and she'll never be allowed back. Ostracized again. You really wanna do that to her, fireball? Does _she_ deserve _that_?"

That seemed to strike a chord with Chaz. He started, looking away from Saylee and down at Flo, conflicted; he needed an outlet for his rage, but he was terrified to hurt his trainer further.

"Go take it out on that Snorlax," Flo said, flicking her tail towards the roadblock in question. "Stupid thing won't wake up short of an act of Mew, and then only maybe..."

Chaz almost ran off, his high blue tail flame leaving trails in the air.

{}

{}

_Dammit, I was really hoping to use Doug for Surge's gym, but I made the disastrous mistake of moving him to the front of the party straight away to do some bait-and-switch training... then the next damn thing I ran into was a level 26 Dugtrio with Arena Trap. I didn't have enough items to keep him alive long enough to whittle it down, and it had a helluva Slash. Alan's death caused me to have a very real panic; both because I'd been very fond of him, and because I was starting to get upset because I was losing so many Pokémon. I put the game down and didn't go back to it for a week._

_Name: Doug. Species: Diglett. Nature: Relaxed. Ability: Sand Veil._

_Name: Daisy. Species: Drowzee. Nature: Modest. Ability: Insomnia_

_RIP Doug, level 18_

_RIP Alan, level 11-22_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	15. Chapter 15

_Pokémon: 5 Deaths: 9_

"I don't know, Perry... she doesn't seem up to it."

"The el-tee don't believe in broodin'. Thinks she needs a kick up the pants. Yo, private Saylee! Eyes forward!"

Saylee blearily dragged her head up, staring in an unfocused way at the Pikachu that was trotting up next to Flo. SG was sitting next to her, arm around her shoulders, trying to find a new way to rephrase her pep talk that might get through to Saylee. She was sitting on the waterfront, staring vaguely at the place where the SS Anne had been yesterday. Her Pokémon were clustered around her, trying to cheer her up. Currently, they were all glaring at the insensitive electric.

"Who're you and what do you want?" Miranda asked, not attempting to look unmenacing as she usually did, and thus being a Gyarados coming off as pretty damn menacing. The Pikachu didn't particularly seem to care, despite being a fraction of her size; that was quad advantage for you.

"Name's Sergeant Perry," he said, putting a paw to his forehead. "Callin' up Sergeant Saylee to report for battle. The el-tee heard she was good and he's been waitin' to battle her. What's she doin' cryin' into the sea? More than enough salt water there anyways."

"That's rude!" Olivia gasped. Saylee just looked down blankly; she had in fact stopped crying, but her eyes were showing no signs of life.

"I don't want to battle," she said softly.

"An' I don't wanna live in a crapsack town, I wanna ride to a castle of gold on the back of a robot rainbow Rapidash," Perry said, flicking his tail and sparking, "but life just sucks like that."

"Listen, you," Chaz growled, stalking over to Perry with his tail flaring again, "We just lost a good friend, she's really upset, and—"

"_You_ listen, private," Perry snapped back. "The el-tee don't like waiting. In a minute, he'll be down here wantin' to know why there ain't a battle happenin'. Loss happens, and breakin' down don't make it not." He glanced over Chaz and the others. "You guys got some experience in battle, yeah? You don't look like total morons."

"What are you suggesting?" Chaz demanded.

"You fight," Perry said casually. "The el-tee don't believe in killin' friendly opponents, if that's what you're worried 'bout. If she sees you havin' a friendly match, might help her get over her fears, right?"

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but this tailfeather's making sense," Pedro pointed out. "Miranda, stay the hell back, this guy looks atcha too hard an' you're fried sushi." He spread his wings, squawking as Chaz pushed him over.

"Yeah, because you'll do so much better against electric-types," he muttered. "Idiot." He looked back as Saylee, frowning as he noticed that, while her face was in their direction, her eyes didn't seem to see anything.

"Fine," he said to Perry. "Bring it."

"Just in time, here he comes," Flo murmured. Perry whipped around and stood upright, bringing his paw to his forehead as a tall human approached.

He was muscular, built like a Machoke, and dressed in green with yellow hair up top. He was also wearing glasses like Saylee's, but a different shape with black glass. "What's the report, sergeant?" he said as he approached, also bringing his hand to his forehead sharply, arm out to the side, elbow bent precisely.

"Sergeant Saylee is sufferin' shellshock, sir," Perry said crisply, "but her troops are ready an' willin' for the fray."

Lieutenant Surge looked over the three Pokémon that had stepped forwards to face him; Daisy, Olivia and Chaz. "Three on three? Sounds like a fair fight. Back up, Sergeant, first match is grunt work."

"Aye, sir," Perry said, bounding backwards behind his trainer's heels, joining a Pokémon that looked like a larger and darker version of himself with a long tail. At the same time, a large pokéball rolled forwards and glared at them with angry eyes. It wasn't a pokéball; it was a Voltorb.

"So, who'll be facin' Private Vinny?" Surge said, crossing his arms and grinning down at them.

"I'll go first," Olivia said, stepping forward and shaking her petals, from which a fine purple dust fell. "I'd like to try out what I learned from the Captain."

"We're here to bail you out if you need us," Chaz promised. Olivia smiled at him and turned to face Vinny.

"Sonicboom, Private, front and centre!" Surge ordered. Vinny pulsed as a wave of sonic energy struck Olivia, who winced but didn't seem to be seriously hurt. Another blast of purple dust was knocked from her flower bud, which drifted on the sea breeze and settled over Vinny. The electric orb gave an odd keening cry and shuddered.

"Awww, don't like my poison?" She crooned, plucking a brown leaf from her head and snapping it out straight like a sword. "Alright, I'm going to try out Cut!"

Vinny rolled out of the way of the first strike, but Olivia whipped around to cut at him again, this time hitting dead on and cracking his exterior. More poisoned dust drifted into the wound and Vinny cried out again.

"Alright!" Pedro cheered. "Get 'im, sprout!"

"Great going, Olivia!" Miranda roared.

"You won't last long this way," Olivia promised, raising her leafblade again. Before she could slash again, though, Vinny vanished into red light. She looked up to see Surge holding the pokéball, nodding at her.

"Man down!" he barked at his other two Pokémon. "Sergeant Perry, report!"

"Sir!" Perry said, darting forwards. A yellow hand settled on Olivia's flower bud.

"Please let me have a shot," Daisy said. "I want to make Alan proud." Olivia nodded, stepping back and letting Daisy out.

"First strike!" Surge ordered, and Perry was gone in a blur, only to strike Daisy before she could react. She stumbled, and Perry hit her again.

"The quick and the dead, private!" he jeered, skidding around to face Daisy again. "Which're you?"

"Neither, I'm afraid," Daisy said, her eyes glowing pink. "I prefer brains over brawn."

"Wh-uh?" Perry muttered, stumbling as pink light surrounded him, before tripping and falling on his face. He tried to push himself up, but somehow smacked himself in the face with his own tail and rolled over, staring cross-eyed at the clouds. Daisy wasn't invisibly fast, but he still didn't spot her charging him in a full-on headbutt until he was flying through the air.

"Although brawn does come in handy," she added, rubbing her head as Perry hit the ground, mumbling in confusion.

"We gotta bad case of shellshock here, Second Lieutenant," Surge said, returning Perry to his pokéball. "Take the field."

"Second Lieutenant Rick, reporting for duty!" Rick said smartly, daring around his trainer to face Daisy. He was a Raichu, larger and stronger than Perry.

"Great job, Daisy," Chaz said, placing a claw on her head. "Alan would be proud of you."

"Thanks..." Daisy said, looking down.

"It's my turn now," Chaz continued, stepping in front of her as his tail flared up. He glanced back at Saylee. She was watching the battle intently, but her face was still blank so he couldn't tell if she was brightening up or not. He wasn't afraid of anything too serious happening— Surge had returned both of his Pokémon before they had received mortal wounds, and Chaz got the feeling that Surge was the kinda guy to extend that courtesy to his opponent too.

But he _really_ wanted to win. Saylee needed a win, and he wanted to bring it home for her.

"Go get 'em, fireball!" Flo called. Chaz cracked his claws, their length flashing silver.

"Shockwave, on the double!" Surge ordered. Rick's cheeks sparked and he hopped up onto his tail before blasting out a wave of electricity that washed over Chaz.

"Yowch!" Pedro yelled, flapping into the air with Olivia grasped in his claws; the two had gotten too close to the battlefield while watching. "Don't let that punk do that again, pal!"

"That's the idea," Chaz said, shaking off the stiffness in his limbs to shoot forward, claws raised.

"Double Team, on the... no, I ain't goin' there," Surge ordered. Rick moved, and suddenly there were Ricks _everywhere_, dozens of them surrounding Chaz. His metal claws slashed harmlessly through an afterimage. He yelled in pain as a Quick Attack hit him from behind, knocking him over; when he looked up again, there was only a multitude of afterimages, with nothing to tell him which was real.

"Chaz..."

{}

Pedro whipped around at the soft cry. Nothing else could have drawn his gaze from intently watching Chaz fight, trying to see the real Rick. He was so fast that even Pedro's sharp eyes couldn't keep up. He could see the sudden worry on Saylee's face though, emotion finally breaking through. He instantly flapped over to perch on her knee, nipping her cheek affectionately, and was overjoyed he feel her pet his crest in response.

"Welcome back," he joked. "Didja catch the first part of the fight, or do I need t'give you the catch-up?"

"How's he going to beat an opponent he can't see?" Saylee said hoarsely, watching Chaz hit the wrong image again and get bowled over. He was looking around frantically and tried spraying around some embers to catch out the real Rick, but the electric-type just swiped them aside with his insulated tail.

"Dunno," Pedro said, watching Rick's afterimages. "This guy's way better than his flunkies. Chaz can't even _see_ him."

Saylee was still and silent for a moment longer, and then said softly, "well, then he might as well level the playing field, right?"

Pedro could see the others slowly smiling at their trainer. "You got a plan, doll?" he said, unable to keep the glee out of his voice. Saylee nodded. "Hell yeah! Knew we kept you around for something!"

Saylee laughed, and SG squealed, jumping to her feet.

"Alright, Saylee's back in the game!" she yelled, grabbing Saylee's arm and dragging her upright. "Go get 'em, girl!"

"Thanks," Saylee said with a little grin, running forward to the edge of the battlefield. Chaz spotted her and his tail flared up in excitement as he grinned like an idiot.

"Got new orders, boss?" he called out with a laugh.

"Oh, don't start talking like _them_," Saylee groaned. "Give 'em a smokescreen instead!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Chaz said, spewing out thick, acrid smoke that covered the battlefield.

{}

Saylee pressed her glasses up her nose as a shield. Her eyes were still sore from crying, and smoke in them wouldn't help. She placed one hand over her mouth and nose, and started when Chaz emerged from the smoke and gripped the other.

"You feeling alright?" he asked softly. She nodded, giving him a smile.

"I think I'll be alright," she replied quietly, wary of Rick listening. "Geez, you guys nearly finished this by yourself! Do you really need me hanging around?"

"Well, _I_ sure as hell don't know what to do now," Chaz said, looking at the smoke. "Yeah, he can't see me either now, but I _still_ can't see _him_... so here's hoping you have a plan, eh?"

"Sure do," Saylee replied, whispering in his ear. He grinned broadly and nodded, vanishing into the smoke again.

"Rick, shockwave!" she heard Surge order, and found her spirits lifting as the smoke cleared and Chaz was nowhere to be seen. She ran over in her mind her memories of Olivia and Daisy's battles, battles that she had been watching but barely seen, and remembered that Surge was not playing to kill. She hadn't felt so safe in battle for a long time; hell, this could be fun.

"Well, well, looks like my opposite number's takin' the field!" Surge laughed, giving her a thumbs-up. "But I see your Sergeant ain't. What's the deal?" He and Rick were looking around, trying to spot where Chaz had gone. Rick's tail was still jammed into the ground where he had used it to ground himself. Something abruptly yanked on Rick's tail, tripping him over just as something red appeared from the ground and smashed into him.

"Nice!" Saylee cheered, watching Chaz slam Rick to the ground. The electric-type collapsed, unconscious.

"Company, re-TREAT!" Surge ordered, returning Rick. He stomped across the field and enveloped Saylee's hand in his own giant fist, shaking her hand hard enough to jerk her off her feet.

"Uh, Saylee?" Chaz said, running over to grab his trainer. Olivia, Daisy and Pedro all hurried to her side to support and congratulate her, with Miranda stretching her gaping maw into a Gyarados smile as she reared up out of the sea. When Surge finally dropped Saylee, SG also joined her side and gave her friend a hug.

"Nice job, fireball," Flo said, hopping up on her hind paws to lick Chaz's cheek. His tail-flame went a funny red colour as he scratched his cheek.

"Uh... th-thanks," he muttered in embarrassment.

"Well, now you're back on the field a' battle, you're a damn good commander, Saylee!" Lt Surge said happily. "You gotta keep soldierin' on, girl, to protect those under your command an' the civilians dependin' on fighters like us."

"I know," Saylee said, massaging some life back into her wrist. "Great match, Lieutenant! And... thanks."

"No problem," Surge said, "But now I've gotta ask a favour of you."

"What is it?" Saylee asked.

"C'mon and hang at my place, and I'll give you the rundown," Surge said, turning and walking away. Saylee glanced at SG, who gave her the thumbs-up. She returned the gesture and returned her Pokémon so she could follow.

{}

{}

_It's essay time again! Which means I'm writing... a ton of fanfic while putting off an essay on the nature of storytelling. Um, this counts as investigating the subject? XD_

_I'm also on a bit of a simultaneous YuGiOh kick, and at one point writing the past couple of chapters I was likening Alan and Daisy to Mahado and Mana in my brain. Daisy got so little time with her sensei, but she too will get even stronger._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	16. Chapter 16

_Pokémon: 5 Deaths: 9_

"I can't leave this place undefended, not with those Rocket bastards just down the road," Surge said, glancing out of the window in the direction of Saffron. "But I got a pal needs backup. Name of Erika. She's the lady runnin' Celadon. She's gotta vermin problem, I'm afraid."

"Celadon's to the northwest of here, right?" Saylee said, poring over a map.

"Yeah, an' shortest route between A an' B's to go through Saffron," Surge said, running his finger from Vermillion to Saffron, and then at right angles to Celadon. "Sadly, they ain't too friendly up there."

"I gathered," Saylee said dryly. She examined the map closely. "The only other route's an uphill climb from Fuchsia..." she ran her finger around the route on the map and groaned. "But the only way to get down there's the old boardwalk, and that's...!"

"Blocked by that lumpa blubber, yeah," Surge sighed, sitting back with his arms crossed. "We still ain't figured outta way to move it. But all ain't lost... there's somethin' ain't marked on the map." He leaned over and tapped Celadon again. "Erika's gotta tunnel, same as the one between here an' Cerulean."

"Does it link to here?" Saylee said excitedly, but Surge shook his head.

"Nah, we ain't managed to build one between here and there yet," he said morosely. "It goes _here_." He tapped another spot on the map marked _Lavender_.

"Lavender... I've heard of that," Saylee said slowly.

"Ghost town," Surge said flatly. "Pokémon burial ground. Livin' Pokémon generally don't go there, an' aint' many humans'll go near the place either. Pokémon remains get left there by folk don't want 'em eaten by wild 'mons."

"Why there?" Saylee asked.

"'Cause the tunnel was there already," Surge said with a shrug. "Ain't nobody knows why, but it was. All Erika did was hide it. Ain't a bad place, anyway; Like I said, ghost town, so I don't figure the Rockets're much interested in it. Tons a' folk head out east to hunt out supplies an' Pokémon that the Rockets ain't got. Heard they've even gone an' set up a camp on the other side of the mountains here," he added, pointing to a spot north of Lavender, a valley between the mountains east of Cerulean.

"But the mountains east of Cerulean are impassable," Saylee pointed out.

"Nope," Surge said with a grin, "just overgrown. An' didn't your Gloom learn a little somethin' from the Cap?"

Saylee slowly grinned. "I see... sounds like a plan!" she stood up and threw a salute. "I'll head out and back up Erika, then!"

"She'll 'ppreciate it," Surge said, giving her a salute back and digging in his pocket. "She thinks they're dug in underground Celadon, see, but if she goes down to face 'em, their pals'll attack the city while she's busy. I bet a strong soldier like you'll weed 'em out, no problem. Here," he added, handing her a small yellow shape. "My emblem. Show it ta Erika along with Misty's an' she'll trust ya, no problem... though she might wanna test ya first," he added with a wink.

"What kind of trainer is she?" Saylee asked, letting Chaz out.

"She's a grass trainer, specializin' in everythin' green an' growin'," Surge said. Saylee grinned at Chaz.

"Oh no, a grass trainer, whatever shall we do," she said flatly. Chaz looked thoughtful.

"Leave it to Pedro?" he deadpanned.

{}

"Okay, when Flo gives us the signal, I'll let you out," SG said, moving to take her place by the gates. Saylee stopped her by grabbing her arm and pulling her into a quick hug.

"It was great meeting you, SG," she said. "Thanks for everything. I hope we can meet again soon, when things are different... you met me at a very strange time in my life, y'know?"

SG giggled. "No problem... I'm glad you feel better. Next time I see you, I expect you to be kicking serious ass with all your guys and some new friends on top, got it?" She held up her hand for a high-five, which Saylee gave her.

"I promise," she said. Chaz tapped her arm.

"There's Flo," he said, indicating the fire-type running towards them.

"Ten seconds," she said to SG. The girl nodded, stepping over to the gate. Flo nuzzled Saylee's knee. "Nice meeting you, Saylee." She then sauntered over to Chaz, giving him another lick on the cheek. "You too, fireball. You take good care of yourself and your human, 'kay?"

"Sure," Chaz said, surprising Flo by giving her a scratch behind the ears, running his claws briefly through the tuft of creamy hair on her head before turning to follow Saylee as SG swung the gates open.

"See you!" SG called, swinging the gates closed behind them. Saylee and Chaz waved back, before they vanished into the long grass.

{}

"Olivia, you're going in the wrong direction!" Pedro called down. "C'mon, this way!" He flew back and forth along the general path that they needed to follow, and Olivia changed direction accordingly, hacking through the thick bushes to create a path. Chaz followed immediately behind her, burning at the exposed bushes. They were too thick to just set fire to to clear— not to mention the risk of setting the entire mountain alight— but he could singe a wider path for Saylee to crawl through.

"How far are we from clear space?" she called up to Pedro. He flew out of her range of sight for a moment, before speeding back.

"Not far now, doll!" He called. "Valley up ahead, and there's a lake and everything!"

"Oh thank goodness," Saylee panted, watching Olivia hack at the overgrowth with renewed fervour. They were on their third day of trying to carve out a path, and if Pedro had said that it was another day to water then she'd have had to have turned back to Cerulean. It still took them over an hour to finally burst out into a surprisingly tranquil little field on the edge of a small, curved horseshoe lake that drained off into a river down the mountain. Olivia immediately plopped into the shallows, petals perking up as she absorbed water. Chaz settled for stretching out on his stomach on the ground nearby as Saylee pulled off her shoes and socks so she could also dunk her feet in the water, dipping her hands in it as well. It was extremely clean— either the source had never been contaminated, or Misty's work with purifying the water supplies was taking effect here as well.

"Nice little place, this," Pedro said appreciatively, perching on the bank next to her and dipping his beak in the water. "Bet Miranda'd like this, huh?"

"Good call," Saylee said, letting both Miranda and Daisy out to take in the air. Miranda immediately dove happily into the deeper part of the lake, while Daisy settled herself contentedly by the riverbank to meditate.

It was a beautiful path of land, hidden away between the mountains, and Saylee forgot about the sores on her hands and knees from crawling through the bushes as she lay back and watched the clouds. Daisy was humming pleasantly while she meditated, and the sound was causing Saylee to start drifting off.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Miranda?!" she yelled in surprise, leaping to her feet at her Pokémon's scream. Miranda had gained a lot of confidence in her power since her evolution— what could be so terrifying as to cause her to scream?

She was slithering onto the banking, desperately trying to get away from something in the water. Pedro shot into the air and circled, instantly homing in on what it was.

"It's just a stupid pokéball... no, it's a Voltorb!" he said in surprise.

"Get it away from me!" Miranda whimpered, yanking her tail out of the water near the Voltorb. The frightened Pokémon was sparking randomly, and Saylee could understand why Miranda was so terrified. An electric-type could kill her instantly.

"We have to help it!" Saylee said, pointing at the distressed Pokémon. "If they get too upset, they explode!"

"I ain't touching it," Pedro yelled, circling over it. Daisy stood up.

"I've got him," she said, her eyes glowing as she reached out a paw. The little red-and-white shape glowed blue with psychic energy, and then levitated out of the water entirely, floating over to the banking. Miranda dived back into the water as Daisy set the Voltorb down near Saylee.

"It's okay," Saylee said soothingly, crouching down next to the shivering little shape. "It's oka— ouch!" She'd reached out carefully towards him and he'd sparked at her.

"Saylee!" Chaz said, standing protectively in front of her. She put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine," she promised. "He's just frightened. Hey, it's okay," she said again. "Are you okay? You're safe now. What's your name?"

"His name's Vick," Daisy supplied. "Voltorb can't talk. But he fell into the river and ended up here, and he couldn't get out. He was panicking. It's okay," she added to Vick, who had stopped shivering and was looking around curiously at all of them. Olivia stepped forward and patted him on the head, resistant to the slight sparks, though he'd calmed down now and was controlling his voltage. He didn't have a mouth, but his eyes curved in a smiling way as he nudged Olivia back.

"Nice to meet you, Vick," Olivia said kindly. "We're glad you're okay." He made a buzzing noise and nudged her again, and then rolled over to Saylee and nudged her heels. "Do you think he wants to come with us?"

"I don't know if we can get him home from here," Saylee said, looking up at the intimidating mountains from which the river flowed and then down at Vick. "How about it, Vick, want to travel with us?"

Vick nudged her again and buzzed happily.

{}

As Surge had predicted, there was a camp further down the valley on the banks of the downriver. As soon as she showed them Misty and Surge's emblems, they welcomed her with open arms. They had free access to clean water from the river, a healing machine and quite a decent amount of food which they were happy to share. They were also excited to learn that there was a negotiable path from Cerulean to the valley; the main impediment to actually settling people in the valley was that previously, the only way in was Rock Tunnel. The Cut technique wasn't common enough for the denser vegetation in the valley down to Cerulean to have been cut down before, and the Rock Tunnel was frankly dangerous.

At first, Saylee thought the main problem was that the tunnel was pitch-black, impossible to see in, but that was easily solved when Vick started glowing. Flash was a technique that was easy for electric-types to learn, so Surge should have had no problem getting people through the tunnel. The real problem, as they soon found out, was...

"Heads up!" Pedro yelled, dropping and slamming into Saylee to knock her out of the way of the descending tail of solid rock. It smashed into the cave wall and swung around, trying to hit the small moving target of Chaz.

"Metal claw's not enough!" Saylee yelled. "Grab Vick and get back!" she released Miranda, who might not fight as well on land, but was still larger and longer than the Onix that they had run afoul of.

"Get back to the lake, flipper," the huge rock serpent snarled.

"Make me," Miranda growled back, blasting him with water and surging forward in the attack. Saylee and Chaz quickly scrambled out of the way as the titans clashed. The Onix son collapsed against the rock wall.

"Okay, I see why this would not be a fun place for Surge to hang out," Saylee gasped, throwing a pokéball at the unconscious Onix. It vanished easily into the red light, and she sent the pokéball back to Professor Oak, not really interested in trying to train the belligerent rock-type. "I really hope they can clear out that path to Cerulean. Thanks, Miranda," she added. "I might have to call you out again if we meet more of them."

"No problem," Miranda said with a nod as Saylee returned her. Chaz, Vick and Pedro all dusted themselves off and started down the tunnels with Saylee again. Vick led the way in Chaz's arms, glowing to light the way, while Pedro followed close behind, keeping watch and taking out gangs of Machop that tried to waylay them. Chaz's metal claws took care of the rest of the rock-types filling the caves, and Vick easily took care of the infesting Zubat. Saylee kept hold of Olivia and Miranda's pokéballs, in case anything appeared that Chaz's claws couldn't handle. There wasn't much in that category.

The main problem, as in all caves, was the number of Zubat. Vick took out so many that before they'd even left the cave on the second day, he'd evolved into Electrode, and with his evolution came a mouth and the ability to speak.

"Brilliant!" He said, rolling around to face Saylee and grinning widely, gnashing his new teeth a couple of times for the feel. "I was hoping I'd evolve soon, since none've you suckers can speak electrical impulse. Well, correction, none've you suckers can handle the electrocution that comes with talking like that. Look, I've been trying to warn you for a while, these caves are _long_ and we're probably gonna be another twelve hours or so 'till we get out..."

"What?!" Pedro complained, flapping down to perch on Chaz's head, though he was swatted away almost instantly. "Dammit! Didn't realize it would be this long."

"These caverns? All Onix tunnels that've gotten bigger 'cause of tunnels collapsing on each other and getting widened by everything else in here," Vick said, intensifying his glow for a moment to hit the wide-set walls.

"So you're saying camping out for the night would be a good plan," Saylee said, making for the nearest wall and setting down her bag next to it. "Damn, I was hoping to not have to do that again… oh, well. Thanks, Vick. You know this area well?"

"If you go up into the real small, windy tunnels, some of them come out near where I'm from," he said, rolling after her.

"Don't you want to go home, then?" Saylee said in surprise, looking around at him— he was almost as tall as her now. He stopped right way up and wiggled side to side, his kind's body language for "no". In reality, Voltorb didn't generally have body language in lieu of speech, communicating quite effectively through electrical pulses, but Vick had learned to imitate common body language quite quickly since none of the rest of them were electric-types.

"I feel like I owe you big for saving me when I fell in the river," he said, giving her a nudge. "Plus, I like you guys. Hope you don't mind me hanging out for a while!"

"Not a problem with us, pal," Pedro said, settling down next to Saylee's bag. Saylee let out Olivia, Daisy and Miranda, the latter of whom curled protectively around their little camp, an exercise that had defended them quite effectively the previous night.

"Vick, is that you?" Olivia said in surprise. "Wow, you evolved! How cool!"

"Thanks," Vick said, grinning a little bashfully as Olivia ran around him, staring at his new form from all angles, not that it looked particularly different. "I was just telling Saylee how I'm thinking of hanging with you guys for a while. That cool?"

"That sounds great!" Olivia said, nodding enthusiastically. Daisy nodded too, waving at Vick in hello. Only Miranda looked a little nervous.

"Sorry, I'm kinda scared of electric types," she admitted, looking down at Vick, whom she could probably swallow whole. "But you know, you're my teammate, so it'll be fine. Sorry I didn't get you out of the river before..."

"No sweat, I probably would've panicked and zapped you and then we'd both be in trouble," Vick said. "So, where are you folks headed, anyway?"

"Celadon, eventually," Saylee said. "But I guess our first stop's going to be Lavender."

It was pretty impressive how fast Vick's face fell. "You _want_ to go to Lavender?" he said warily.

"Uh... yeah," Saylee said, taken aback by the negative response from Vick, who so far had been consistently upbeat. "What's wrong? I heard it was a burial ground or something..."

"It's not just a burial ground," Vick said quietly. "It's a _dying_ ground."

{}

{}

_Merry Christmas to all, and Hail Santa! Hope you get everything you wish for :)_

_Name: Vick. Species: Voltorb. Nature: Docile. Ability: Static_

_Name: Oliver. Species: Onix. Nature: Modest. Ability: Sturdy._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	17. Chapter 17

_Pokémon: 7 Deaths: 9_

"How old are you guys?" Vick asked. They were all sitting together in the uncomfortable silence following Vick's cryptic pronouncement of Lavender's origins.

"Fifteen," Saylee said, looking around at her Pokémon, suddenly curious about their answers.

"Seven," Miranda said morosely. "The first six and a half hardly count for anything, though."

"I'm four years old," Olivia volunteered.

"Twelve," Daisy said calmly, glancing over at Pedro.

"Three," he said, looking on to Chaz. "How 'bout you, pal?"

"I was born about twenty years ago," he said, to some surprise, "but I spent so long in pokéball suspended animation that I feel more like six. This about when things... changed?"

"Yep," Vick said sternly. "I'm a good twenty-five years old myself. I think. But I'm not sure, 'cause see, fifteen years ago, I woke up knowin' that I was about ten years old, my name was Vick, and I was a Voltorb. What I wasn't too clear on was what a Voltorb was, or who or what the folk around me were, or where I was. Nobody else knew, either. Like we'd all popped into existence out of nowhere, only we were in a building, and it seemed old. Not sure why I thought it looked old and used, but it did. There were humans all over, too, and they didn't know jack either.

"We were all lost and confused, so we just kinda banded together to look around. All we could find was that the area was ruined. We heard later, from flying-types passing through, that _everywhere_ was wrecked. Nobody knew why, or by who. For a while, everyone just stuck together, in case whatever did it came back, you know? But while we got pretty lucky in the valley, in other places everyone started fighting over land and food. Not enough of either."

"There's never been enough of either," Saylee said glumly. "Although I don't know anyone who can remember a time when there was enough, or what _enough_ is, really."

"Everyone knows _something_ happened fifteen years ago," Chaz said. "Something attacked the country, probably."

"That was Professor Oak's theory, actually," Saylee admitted. "And whatever or whoever they were, they tore the country apart so badly that we can't pull ourselves back together. Yet."

"Whatever it was also killed a lot of people and Pokémon," Vick said quietly. "We were exploring the Rock Tunnels, see. I've been to Lavender before, but not for a long time. Anyway, we got there, and... well, I guess it was a pretty decent town before, you know? Quite a few wrecked buildings around. And all of 'em full of corpses."

Saylee slapped her hands over her mouth at the sudden surge of nausea. Olivia, sitting in her lap, whimpered and turned to hide her face in Saylee's shirt. Saylee patted her on the bud soothingly with one hand, the other clutching Chaz's arm for security. "Corpses? Of what?"

"People, Pokémon... all sorts," Vick said uncomfortably, looking like he didn't want to upset them more. "All sorts, and tons of them. Not a living thing there. It was a town of the dead."

"Oh, no..." Saylee wrapped her arm around Olivia. "What did you do?"

"We got the hell out of there is what we did!" Vick said sharply. "We didn't wanna be anywhere near the damn place. It felt... _wrong_, being there. You could feel the fact that you were gonna be dead someday, when you were there. We got the hell away and stayed the hell away... well, most of us did."

"Who went back?" Saylee asked warily. Vick looked distinctly uncomfortable and unhappy to be talking about this.

"We had some folk who were injured, you know?" he said. "They were like that when we woke up. Don't know how they got injured, they just were. And some were hurt so bad that they weren't getting any better. We made the mistake of telling everyone what we'd found, what it was like. Next day, a bunch of the injured were gone. We followed their trail, tracked them through Rock Tunnel, all the way to Lavender. But we were too late..."

"Too late for what?" Chaz asked, his expression darkening. "You're not saying somebody took them...?"

"Not from the valley," Vick said quickly. "They took themselves. A Pikachu I know said that her brother, just the day before, had been complaining about being useless, using up our supplies, saying that he was never getting better and we ought to just let him go. She refused, of course. Seems like he and a few others wouldn't stop thinking that way, though. Soon as they heard about Lavender, they headed out there, away from the valley, and... they died. All dead, by the time we got there. It was probably the journey that did it, really, but it looked a hell of a lot like Lavender was a place to die."

"That's just creepy," Saylee said, shivering. Her team nodded feverently in agreement.

"We never _sent_ anyone there," Vick said, looking down, "but some people got old, or injured, and they went on their own. And they went to die. None've them ever came back. We tried keeping an eye on people that we thought were gonna go, but they always found a way out. Some other tribes in the area, though, _sent_ people to die. Plenty just ditch corpses there, if they don't eat them. Depends on the species. Lavender is not a happy place to be, Saylee. We shouldn't stay long."

"I hear you," Pedro said shakily. "Here's a plan: we get in and outta Lavender faster than a Rapidash on Carbos, deal?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Saylee said with a shiver. "I don't _want_ to be there long."

{}

Almost the second she set foot in Lavender Town, Saylee wanted to leave. The slippery crunching noise made by the bone she stood on didn't help.

They were all over the ground, dry bones littered all over. The ruined remnants of buildings were scattered around, one or two with cloth stretched over the top. What drew the eye most of all, however, was the tower.

It was huge, hewn out of a cliff wall, towering over the remains of the town. Purple mist seemed to emanate from the irregular window-like holes on every level.

"Vick was right, Saylee, this place is all wrong..." Chaz muttered, tugging her arm. "Come on. Surge said that the secret tunnel was west of here, right? Let's _go_."

"Y-yeah..." Saylee's compass was spinning madly and wouldn't point her in the right direction, so she released Pedro, counting on his avian sense of direction.

"C'mon, doll," Pedro said, spreading his wings and flying in the right direction. Saylee started to follow, but paused when she saw something move in the mist.

"What is that...?" she said, stepping towards it. Chaz tugged sharply on her arm.

"Saylee, it's probably just an illusion or something!" he said urgently. "I can just tell that this place messes with your head. Come _on_..."

"It looks like a little girl!" Saylee said, watching the child wandering out of the mist towards him. "Hello? Little girl?"

"Grandpa?" she called, frowning when she saw Saylee. "Have you seen my grandpa, lady?"

"N-no... we haven't seen anyone," Saylee said, crouching down to be on a level with the little girl. "What's your name, sweetie? Why are you here?"

The little girl ignored her. "Do you believe in ghosts, lady?"

"No..." Saylee said nervously, shivering. This whole thing felt _off_. The little girl frowned at her again and shook her head, turning around.

"Then that white hand on your shoulder must be my imagination..." Saylee jerked sharply, spinning around, slapping her hand to her shoulder, but there was nothing there. When she turned back, the girl was gone, and two large white eyes were looming out of the mist...

"Let's _go_, Saylee!" Chaz yelled, grabbing her arm and pulling her along hard. Pedro swooped by and grabbed her other arm, tugging her away from the ghost town.

The purple-grey mist rolled, and swallowed the distant screams.

{}

"Wh-what _was_ that?" Saylee gasped, collapsing by the edge of a patch of grass. Her whole body was shaking violently, as if she was inside of a block of ice rather than a fairly warm midsummer afternoon. Chaz gave her a hug, trying to warm her up, but even the intense heat radiating from his skin could touch the sudden cold at the very depths of Saylee's soul.

"C'mon, doll, calm down," Pedro said, nipping her cheek. "Chill. We're well outta there now."

"I saw them," Saylee muttered, burying her head in her knees.

"Saw who?" Chaz asked warily, rubbing her shoulders. Saylee shook her head.

"Rachel... Wilma... Alan... all of them..."

Chaz froze, gripping her shoulders. "Saylee..."

"I saw them... they were so _angry_..." Saylee said hoarsely. "I... I have to go help them..."

"No you don't!" Chaz said, shaking her shoulders. "Saylee, you can't go back there!"

"It was just an illusion, doll," Pedro said. "C'mon, doll, look at us. It wasn't real, got it? None of us saw 'em. It _wasn't real._"

"We have to keep going, Saylee," Chaz said, nearly headbutting her as he tried to get her to look him in the eye. "We have to go to Celadon. We have to fight Team Rocket, remember? And we have to find your brother!"

"Red..."

Saylee nodded, pushing herself to her feet. She took off her glasses, wiping her eyes, and put them back into place, steeling herself and trying to forget about Lavender Town. "_It was just an illusion,_" she told herself. "_Just my own fear. It wasn't real. It wasn't real... I didn't see him there..._"

There was a pitiful howl— from the path _away_ from Lavender. Saylee glanced at Chaz and Pedro, and then took off after the sound.

{}

"Stupid useless thing, look at it! Can't even fight back!"

"What good are you, you useless piece of junk? None!"

"Gah, shut it up! That howling's doing my head in!"

Saylee skidded to a halt as a motorcycle skidded past her. There were four or five of them, circling and kicking at a small pile of orange fur, liberally streaked with red. Chaz's claws flashed silver, and at Saylee's command one bike's front wheel was torn apart by his steel claws. Pedro's sharp beak and talons made swift work of another. Cursing and yelling, they pulled back, lining up to glare at Saylee.

"What do you think you're doing, bitch?" One of them snarled, the one whose bike Chaz had destroyed. He was the biggest, a bald chunk of muscle that the other bikers were flanking. Saylee stepped forward to check on the injured Pokémon, Chaz and Pedro staying protectively in front of her.

"I could ask you the same thing," she said coldly, scooping up the little Pokémon. It was a Growlithe, young and in a lot of pain. "In fact I think I will. What do _you_ think _you're_ doing?"

"Taking out the trash," the baldie sneered, the rest of the bikers guffawing sycophantically. "Forget that junk, baby. Why not come hang with us for a bit?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm real impressed with you big hard men," Saylee scoffed. "It takes five of you to beat up one little Pokémon? Yeah, you're cool."

Baldie's forehead creased, brain cell having to spin at maximum speed to decipher sarcasm. "What was that, bitch?" he said, flinging out a couple of pokéballs. A pair of Koffing appeared. His lackeys let out their Pokémon too, a bunch of Grimer and Koffing, no doubt the sources of the combustible gases that they needed to run their motorbikes. They were ganging up again, but that didn't worry Saylee. With a flick of her hand, Daisy appeared at her side.

"Got it," Daisy said with a little nod, raising her arms as her eyes and paws began to glow with power. "Don't worry, Saylee. Alan taught me how to fight scum like these."

{}

Greta couldn't help whimpering as something stung at her wounds. However, she could also feel the comforting lick of fire in her fur, and nuzzled closer to the source.

"Mama..." she muttered, licking at the flames. It didn't taste like an Arcanine's fire, though it did taste friendly.

"Are you awake? How do you feel?"

It was a female voice, a human's. Greta managed to open her eyes, peering up through the fire. It was coming from the tail of a Charmeleon, and by his side was a human girl, with short brown fur and glass eyes. She smiled in a friendly way as she dabbed at Greta's wounds with some liquid. It stung, but then when it stopped stinging, her injuries didn't hurt anymore.

"What happened to the mean guys?" she asked tentatively. The human daubed at one of her wounds gently.

"My friend Daisy is teaching them some manners," she said, pointing to one side. Greta managed to look up to see a Drowzee standing over the unconscious humans, red smoke coming from its trunk. "I'm Saylee. What's your name?"

"I'm Greta," she said, licking Saylee's hand affectionately when it came near. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it," Saylee said, wrapping something around Greta's aching hind left paw. "Hmm, this looks pretty bad. Where's your home? We'll take you there."

"I don't know... I lost Mama and the others. I'm a runt, so I couldn't keep up..."

"I think you're very cute," Saylee said, scratching behind Greta's ears. "I know a place that would look after you. There are friendly humans and Pokémon, but there aren't any other fire Pokémon there. They need one. Would you like a very important job?"

"I can be real important?" Greta yelped, trying to sit up and wincing in pain. "I'd love to! How do I get there?"

"I can send you in a pokéball," Saylee said, picking up a red-and-white pokéball, along with an odd, large, blue pokéball. "Do you mind?"

"No, it sounds great! I can't wait!" Greta said excitedly. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Saylee said, smiling again as she opened the normal pokéball. "Take care, and have fun!"

{}

{}

_Happy New Year, everybody! Hope you have a fantastic 2012! Well, until the world ends, anyway._

_That little girl scared the crap out of me when I was a kid. I always had to look at my actual shoulder to make sure there was nothing there..._

_Name: Greta. Species: Growlithe. Nature: Calm. Ability: Flash Fire_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	18. Chapter 18

_Pokémon: 8 Deaths: 9_

Chaz pushed the trapdoor out of the way and helped Saylee clamber out after him. They were in a pretty good mood after beating up the biker thugs and rescuing Greta, enough to have forgotten all about Lavender Town. The entrance to the tunnel hadn't been far from a Saffron gatepost, so they'd had to wait until nightfall to go in. Just the same, they had waited until evening of the next day to exit the tunnel. Chaz tapped his pokéball on her belt to return himself, not wanting the glow of his tailflame to give Saylee away.

"I'm guessing I want to go in the opposite direction to _them_," Saylee muttered to herself. She glared briefly at the Rocket gateway, inside of which she could see several black-clad goons, before creeping carefully through the dark and uneven terrain. Lights soon rose before her, the tallest buildings she'd ever seen.

They rose above a wall of vines, blocking her entrance to Celadon City. A Bellsprout was sitting in front of them, watching Saylee placidly.

"Olivia, help me out," Saylee complained, letting out her own grass-type. "Tell them that Surge sent us, can you pretty please?"

"No problem," Olivia said, holding out her paw for the two emblems. Saylee handed them over, and Olivia proceeded to have a long and odd conversation with the Bellsprout, consisting entirely of one of her leaves tangling with a vine and the two appendages glowing. This went on for some time, until finally the Bellsprout stepped back and dug its vine-feet into the ground. Moments later, the huge vines parted, enough to allow Saylee and Olivia through.

The city on the other side was _beautiful_.

"Look at the lights!" Olivia gasped. Saylee let out the rest of her Pokémon, aside from Miranda, who was too large. They all gaped at the large, shining buildings. The place looked like it had never been part of a war. It was _beautiful_.

"Check this place out!" Pedro said, flying around in circles above them.

"There are so many plants, too!" Olivia said happily. "It's so beautiful!"

"This place is buzzin'!" Vick laughed. "Come on, let's check it all out!"

"I'd love to, but I think we need to find Erika first," Saylee said, looking around. "Come on, let's check things out." She made for a nearby building, the tallest in the city. The door opened before she got there.

"Greetings, dearie," said an extremely old lady, waving at Saylee. "You're the one Bellamie let in, eh? Come on in, come on in."

"Oh, sure," Saylee said in surprise. She stepped through a door, which a Meowth promptly pushed closed behind her. The sight of the feline Pokémon reminded her with an uncomfortable jolt of Melvin. Olivia was wearing a sad little frown, too.

The room was _full_ of Pokémon. A pair of Nidoran, the Meowth, a Clefairy, another Bellsprout... they were all over the place, napping or chatting or eating. "What _is_ this place?"

"This place, dearie, is a safe house for Pokémon liberated from those Rocket scum," the old lady said, her gentle voice taking a sharp PH dip when Team Rocket came up. "Would you like some tea?"

"Thank you," Saylee said, sitting down and sipping the hot brew. It was delicious. "I'm here to meet Erika. Surge sent me."

"Surge, eh?" the old lady said. "That boy still kicking? Good. Well, I'll show you how to get to Erika's, young lady, if you do me a favour."

"No problem," Saylee said, getting up. She was eager to talk to Erika; aside from being desperately sick of sneaking around and ready to kick some Rocket ass, Red might have come through here.

After what she thought she saw in Lavender, she needed to hear _something _about him.

The old lady thumped her cane on the floor and yelled, "ELRIC!"

"Patience, ma'am, patience..." an Eevee muttered as he calmly padded over to the old lady. "What is it _now_?"

"Watch it, you little ingrate," the old lady muttered. "Dearie, could you find a home for this little one? He has so much potential that won't be realized here..."

"...because there's nothing to _do_ here..." Elric muttered.

"...because he's a lazy little sod," the old lady finished. "Do you think you could look after him?"

"I can't afford to keep him myself," Saylee said, looking over her Pokémon— all of whom were making "please don't make us put up with this kid" faces at her— "but I'm sure my mother would love to have him! How does that sound?"

"Do as you please," Elric said with a shrug. The old lady thwacked him on the head with his pokéball, and he glared at her as he vanished into the red light.

"Where do you live, dearie?" she asked, handing it over. Saylee popped the pokéball into the transfer system.

"The Pallet Settlement," Saylee said. "We only started building about four years ago. There's not a lot there." The old lady grinned.

"That'll suit him just fine," she cackled. "Now, Erika, was it?"

{}

It took some time for what was happening to her disciples to get through to the pool of tranquillity around Erika, but finally she set down her teacup, looked away from her flower arrangements, and looked up to see a large portion of her greenhouse was ablaze. A Gyarados appeared to be spraying water everywhere in an attempt to cool things down.

A girl was standing in front of Erika across an expanse of hardy grass that she reserved for battles. At her side was a large, pale-red Charmeleon whose tail flame was burning bright blue.

"Sorry about the plants, but the paranoid bitches you put on the doors wouldn't let me in even when I showed them these," the girl said pleasantly, holding up two emblems. Misty's and Lt Surge's. "So Chaz and I had to educate them about why we were sent."

"You rude little cow!" Lori shrieked, letting out her Exeggcute. "Get her!"

"Chaz, you know what to do," the girl said calmly even as Exeggcute started spraying seeds at them. Chaz burned them all away with a swish of his tail, and then fried Exeggcute with a quick flamethrower. Even as Lori stooped to scoop up her injured Pokémon, Chaz seemed to grow a little taller, and suddenly two huge wings with teal undersides burst from his back. Erika looked from Chaz to the girl.

_Saylee. Teenage girl. Skilled trainer. Best partner: Charmeleon named Chaz._

_Not anymore, it seems._

"You are Saylee, I assume?" Erika said, fishing her pokéballs out of her sleeves. "I got a call about you from Surge. If I am to give you free rein to explore my city, you must earn it from me." She selected Oleander, her Vileplume, as her first attacker. Her extremely powerful stomach acid might manage more than Tafotila or Bakula could do against a Charizard.

"Bring it on," Saylee said with a grin, patting Chaz's flank. He roared, his tail flaring even bluer.

{}

"Whoa, check _you_ out, pal," Pedro laughed, flying around and around Chaz's large head. Chaz playfully batted at him with his new wings, which still moved a little awkwardly, unfamiliar muscles getting tried out. "You can fly too now!"

"Well, I'm not the only one who evolved," Chaz said, a little embarrassed, nodding to Daisy. She had taken the first shift in the gym, wiping out half-poison types until she evolved. Now she was a calm Hypno, levitating slightly as she meditated cross-legged, swinging her pendulum.

"Wow... he's so _big_!" Olivia gasped, stepping back, a little intimidated. She was admiring Oleander, Erika's Vileplume. "I could really look like _you_ one day...?"

"There's a large supply of natural elemental stones from a mine north of here," Erika sighed, "but I'm afraid the Rockets have it tied up... we can't get access to any stones until they are taken out."

"Does this include Leaf Stones?" Saylee asked. Erika nodded.

"The Rockets watch me whenever I leave my greenhouse," she said. "I can't go near their base without them exacting retribution on the people of Celadon. However, the blaze at the front of the greenhouse ought to distract them nicely, so I can sneak you out the back of the gym."

"Sorry about that," Saylee said sheepishly. Erika smiled, shaking her head as she pressed her emblem into Saylee's hand.

"You've earned this," she said. "Show it to the man sitting in the far corner of the cafe. He'll give you what you need to get into the Rocket base. You're far more powerful than I am. I have no doubt that you can do far more than I."

"I'll do my best," Saylee said, pocketing the emblem and standing up. "Alright, guys. Let's get patched up, stocked up, and then kick some Rocket ass, how does that sound?"

"Sounds like a plan," Vick said. Daisy and Olivia nodded in agreement.

"Sweet, hiding's over," Pedro said triumphantly. "Let's kick some _ass_!" Miranda roared supportively.

Chaz nudged his huge head against Saylee's arm. "We're all with you, Saylee," he said. "Let's go."

{}

"Is this even allowed...?" Saylee muttered, slowly working her way down a line of slot machines. She was actually coming out on a slight profit if you included all of the coins she scooped off of the floor.

The man at the back of the bar had handed her a coin purse and told her to go to the pawn shop on the road south of the tall building where she'd picked up Elric. He wouldn't say any more, but as she was getting up two men sitting on stools at the bar had struck up a loud conversation about how there was always a guy hanging out in front of the posters at the back like he was guarding something, and why would posters need guarding?

She'd only gotten into the bar on her second try. The first building that she'd peeked into looked like an office of some sort; three men were sitting around, scribbling something in large notebooks, counting cash, and cackling about all of their profits. One of them had started throwing notebooks when he'd spotted her, so she'd gotten out of there sharpish. A man in the building she was in now had told her that it was the accounts office for the gaming shop and given her some coins to get started.

It was an addiction, it seemed. People pawned their things to get coins, and then tried to win back more than they'd started with from the machines, so they could buy their things back and buy something else from the shop too. It all seemed rigged to Saylee, but there was no denying that some of the items in the shop were very rare and valuable.

There were rare Pokémon for sale, too. That worried her. The place was definitely run by the Rockets.

After working up and down the rows of machines a couple of times, Saylee made her way into view of the guard. He was dressed in standard, blatant Rocket uniform, and was leaning next to one of the posters with an expression of extreme boredom. Notably, whenever he shifted position, he glanced down at the poster quickly before returning to being bored.

Saylee glanced around. Nobody else, besides the gelled suits behind the counters, seemed to be Rocket. A couple of people were enjoying winning streaks, but most people just seemed to be desperately attempting to win back enough to buy back whatever they'd pawned. She'd have to think carefully about who to use. Chaz and Miranda were both definite no-nos in this small space. Instead, she slipped out Daisy.

"Can you send the suits to sleep?" Saylee muttered. Daisy promptly swung her coin, staring intently at the people behind the store counter. They dropped off one by one, followed by the people behind the pawn counter. People turned and stared as they collapsed with audible _thumps_. A young woman leaned over the pawn counter and shook a man who'd fallen asleep against the edge of it. He just fell over.

"They're all asleep," she said, nonplussed. She'd been sitting a couple of aisles away from Saylee and hadn't seen Daisy. "Well then, I'm getting my chair back!" She started climbing over the counter.

"Good idea!" another guy said, vaulting over and rummaging through the pile of things for whatever he'd pawned. There was a surge as people got up to retrieve their belongings, though a few opted to raid the store instead.

"Hold it!" the guard yelled angrily, releasing a Zubat and a Raticate. "Stop them!"

"No you don't!" Saylee said, stepping into their path with Daisy and releasing Vick at the same time. "Spark and headbutt!"

The Zubat dropped in a flash of electricity from Vick. The Rocket had the breath knocked out of him as Daisy rammed the man's own Raticate into his chest. They both dropped to the ground and lay still.

"Hey, how do I get into the base?" Saylee demanded, shaking the man's shoulders and slapping his face a couple of times. "Damn. Out cold. Daisy, what are you doing?"

"I had this awful nightmare a while ago," Daisy said, red smoke pouring out of her coin. "Tasted disgusting. It was a long one, too. Ought to keep him occupied for a while."

"You're a genius," Saylee said, picking at the corner of the poster that the man had been moving so gingerly around. She got a tack out of the corner and peeled it back, discovering a switch set into the wall behind it. "Sweet. Well, let's see what you do, shall we—?"

The second she pressed the button a section of floor to her right, at the dead end of the corridor, flipped up flat against the wall and revealed a wide staircase down below. Lights sprung to life along the length of it.

"Well, that don't look suspicious at all," Vick said, rolling over. "We going in?"

"You know it," Saylee said, releasing Olivia and Pedro, the only other two small enough to move freely down the staircase with her. "Stick close and keep 'em peeled, guys."

"On it, doll," Pedro said, flying forward to lead them down the tunnel as a full-on riot broke out in the store behind them.

{}

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_I didn't even bother writing out this gym battle for the obvious reason; it was pretty much the shortest thing ever. Three flamethrowers, three kills, bish bash bosh. And yeah, Chaz is just a teensy bit overlevelled... I wasn't in the mood to lose anybody, so I just went all in with Chaz. Normally I rotate team members to keep them on an even level. I did hit a bit of the gym with Daisy, but she couldn't kill things fast enough and kept getting poisoned. So Chazmageddon it was._

_Name: Elric. Species: Eevee. Nature: Gentle. Ability: Run Away_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	19. Chapter 19

_Pokémon: 9 Deaths: 9_

The hall below was cavernous to say the least. Saylee crouched low on the stairs, trying to get the best possible view of the room without going in, but it seemed to be empty. The stairs continued on downwards; Saylee opted to keep going down, banking on the worst scum collecting in the deepest, darkest corner. As she descended the stairs, she slowly became aware of the quiet rumble of machinery.

"I don't see any major machines down here," Pedro said softly, looking around. "Whatcha think, Vick?"

"Well, there's a lot've power in use down here," Vick said, rolling off the bottom step with a _thump._ "Can't tell what kind, though..."

"Hmm..." Saylee stepped forward, following Pedro, and yelped as her feet were whisked out from under her. The ground was moving quickly under her feet, carrying her swiftly along until she hit some kind of obstacle and rolled onto mercifully still ground.

"Doll! What happened?" Pedro called, flying over to her and settling on the ground next to her. He nipped her cheek supportively as she pushed herself up to a sitting position, rubbing her sore shins.

"Owwww... well, so much for a stealthy entrance," she muttered, looking behind her. As her eyes grew accustomed to the gloom, she noticed what she hadn't before; a strip of the ground really was _moving_. Looking around her, she could see other moving strips between the crates around her. She was in some kind of holding area, probably for game corner prizes. The moving floor probably made it easier to move the large, heavy crates around.

"I'll fly up and try to see a route over the boxes," Pedro said, clearly embarrassed by not noticing the floor sooner. He flew up, circling close to the rafters, and then dropped sharply as a screech echoed across the floor.

"There's a guy over there, got a couple of Zubat and a Raticate too from the looks of it," he said quickly to Saylee. She leapt to her feet and jumped onto the next moving floor, Daisy, Vick and Olivia hot on her heels.

"Pedro, you can carry Olivia, right?" Saylee said, running down the moving floor. "Carry her up and shut that guy and his Zubat up. Sleep powder ought to do it. Go, quick! He might set off some alarms!"

"On it!" Pedro said, swooping down to scoop up Olivia and fly off. Over the boxes, Saylee could just glimpse blue powder showering down. The screeching faded.

A few twists, turns and falls later, Saylee skidded onto still land in front of an unconscious grunt. Aside from the standard Zubat and Raticate— _Why do _all_ of them use these?_— he also had a Grimer and Koffing, both snoozing alongside their trainer. A new noise had replaced the Zubats' screeching, however; the thud of jackboots on the stairs.

"Dammit," Saylee muttered. "Ready to fight, guys?"

"Ready, doll," Pedro said, swooping low to drop Olivia back to the ground. The four lined up between their trainer and the stairs, ready to hit the first thing that came down hard.

It was a trio of Rockets, two of whom instantly flung out a melee of Rattata and Raticate. Saylee's Pokémon threw themselves in without hesitation, sparking, wing attacking, acid-burning or headbutting the rodent Pokémon out of the way. The third Rocket threw a Machop into the mix.

"Pedro, the Machop!" Saylee said sharply, watching it swing its fists towards Vick. Pedro banked sharply, an attacking wing aimed at one of the Raticate instead smashing right into the Machop's midsection while the Raticate was fielded by Daisy. The Rocket tried following up with a Drowzee, but by this point it was four-on-one. The stumpy psychic didn't stand a chance.

_Okay, that's probably cheating, but hell, it's not like these bastards play fair._

Olivia set to knocking out two of the Rockets, but Daisy hypnotized the one with the Drowzee and Machop, probably the most senior of the three. He stood there, staring vacantly in Saylee's direction.

"How many grunts are down here?" Saylee asked swiftly, pushing the unconscious Rattata and Raticate into a little pile to under the stairs.

"Eleven," the man said in a flat monotone. "Two guarding Boss and nine of us working the warehouse."

"Damn," Saylee muttered. "Where's your boss?"

"Fourth basement," the man said in the same blank tone. "Take the elevator."

Saylee marched over to the pair of metal doors the man indicated. There seemed to be no way of opening, and the only button had a keyhole in it. It didn't seem to work without a key.

"Who has the key?" she demanded. The man shrugged a little.

"Someone in the offices," he said blandly. Saylee nodded.

"Where are the offices?" she asked. The man pointed down. "Right. You've been very helpful. Sort of. You can help even more by having a nap _right now_, got it?"

The man obligingly folded up onto the floor. Saylee glanced at Daisy. "How long have you been able to do that?"

"Oh... Alan taught me how," Daisy admitted, swinging her coin. "It's not hard with someone as weak-minded as him. Very receptive to orders."

"Um, Saylee?" Olivia said, peering up the stairs. "I think more people are coming."

"Well, he said the offices were down, so those stairs are no good," Saylee grumbled, pointing back to the packing-crate maze. "C'mon. Pedro, try and scout out a different way through the boxes, preferably one leading to down stairs. There must be some around here somewhere. Everyone else, let's move!"

She hit some still ground and cornered to run behind some boxes just as two more grunts appeared and gave chase.

{}

Saylee pressed her back to a crate, listening to the running feet. Another two grunts had joined the chase, and all four of the idiots were riding along the floor in single file. A good push from her and Pedro, aided by a headbutt from Daisy, and the boxes tumbled down, blocking their path. Saylee sped away from the angry yells and swearing, grinning when she finally spotted another staircase down. The third basement had just turned out to be another mazelike warehouse without any offices in sight, but the hypnotized grunt had mentioned a fourth basement and Saylee was relieved to find that she could access it without the elevator. Hopefully, the keys she needed were down here.

She nearly slipped on a TM disc. The Rockets dropped things _everywhere_; junk and supplies both liberally scattered around the warehouse floor. She'd even found whole gold nuggets and a Moon Stone!

"There's gotta be brains behind this somewhere, 'cause these guys sure ain't got 'em," Vick opined, swearing as he rolled into a potion. "Right, so who's down here?"

Purple smog filled the room. Saylee coughed, and gasped as a burning sensation ripped down her throat and into her lungs. She dropped to her knees, coughing heavily with her hand over her mouth.

"Poison gas!" Olivia yelled. Pedro started flapping his wings, blowing the smoke away from them, and Saylee found herself able to breathe again. She spat on the ground, eyes watering, mouth burning.

"It's a Koffing!" Daisy said, her eyes glowing, swinging her coin around in a quick circle. In the mist there was a pink flash and a heavy _thud_. The gas dissipated as Olivia sucked it away into her bud. "Saylee, are you alright? Can you breathe? Is everyone okay?"

"Y-yeah," Saylee said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and standing up. "Remind me to get Miranda to give me a proper shower later. Alright, where are you?" She called, striding through the office. Vick took care to roll over the deflating, unconscious Koffing. "Come out now and give us the key to the elevator and it'll go much easier on you."

"Like hell," a voice called and a Zubat appeared, screeching at the top of its lungs. Saylee dropped to her knees again for the second time in as many minutes as her brain started to vibrate, the annoyingly familiar pain of a targeted Supersonic attack resonating through her skull.

"Oh, that's playing _real_ fair!" Pedro howled angrily. Through her screwed-up eyes, Saylee could just make out Pedro flying down and flicking Vick into the air with his wings. The Zubat was flying high, trying to stay out of the range of all but Pedro, until Vick slammed into it and began to spark electricity all over the place. Both fell to the ground and the noise ceased.

"Vick, are you okay?" Saylee called, panicking slightly over the rough moves Vick was making. Electrode had more control over their power than Voltorb, but they also had much more of it and they were still very volatile.

"Fine, fine," Vick laughed, rolling back into sight. "I think I zapped the trainer, though."

"Not a problem," Saylee said as she crouched over the unconscious and slightly twitching man. Saylee had no idea if Vick had hit the man with a dangerous amount of voltage; humans had a much lower electricity tolerance level than pretty much any Pokémon except Gyarados. Looking at the records the man was going through— Pokémon bred, Pokémon shipped, Pokémon "unsuitable" and "disposed of"— she didn't particularly care.

"Here we go," she said, pulling out a small metal key with a black plastic handle. It had a red "R" printed on it. "Good grief, talk about cheesy..."

"So... we have to go back up to the elevator where we took out those three grunts?" Olivia said, sounding a little dismayed. Saylee grinned.

"Not quite," she said, pulling something out of her pocket and tugging on it. It was a translucent rope. "Erika gave it to me. They've got fantastic technology here. Press the button on the end there and it retracts, takes us right back to where I tied it, which is the entrance. Just got to hold on and remember to skid out around corners. I'll put you guys back in your pokéballs for transit, and we can go."

"Why the entrance, doll?" Pedro asked as she started returning the other three.

"The elevator," she said. "Bloody hell, they even had floor numbers above it. It doesn't just go between the second and fourth basements, but the first as well. And from there..."

"We can find the brains of the outfit," Pedro said, stretching his wings happily as he disappeared.

{}

"For bodyguards, they don't really go for more advanced strategy, do they?" Pedro said, watching Daisy twist two Ekans around each other and throw them into the wall. One of the men retaliated with an Arbok, whose acid spray was more or less ineffective against Daisy. Her psychic energy made the great snake freeze where it was and begin shuddering as its own poison sacs began to overflow.

"Hey!" Saylee yelled as each of the grunts released a Sandshrew, sending them after Daisy. "Pedro, give her some cover!"

"On it," Pedro said, swooping towards the oncoming ground-types with his wings spread wide and hard. Both of them were bowled over and then taken out entirely by a second strike.

"Fine! Let's ramp it up!" one of the guards snarled, releasing a large and vicious-looking Sandslash. Pedro grinned, throwing his head back, flicking out his longer crest, the flowing golden feathers now running down the middle. He was now taller than Saylee.

"Yes," he said, a wicked glint in his eye as he spread wide his new twelve-foot wingspan. "Let's."

{}

The man inside of the office seemed entirely unruffled by the ruckus of two of his men being taken out by a giant bird of prey right outside his door. Either the doors were thicker than they looked and the noise hadn't come in, or the man was big on both the dramatic and intimidating. Judging by the fact that he was in the back corner of an underground hideout, Saylee was betting on the latter.

She allowed him his dramatic moment to size him up. Middle-aged man, neat black hair, neat black suit. Three pokéballs on the table in front of him. Odd white pair of binoculars in his hands being closely examined by dark reddish-brown eyes. Saylee crossed her arms, tapped her foot ostentatiously and waited.

"So," he said idly, not looking up from the binoculars. "I must say, I am impressed you got here."

"Thanks," Saylee said. "You're the boss, right? Who are you? What are you up to here? Where are the Pokémon you have imprisoned?"

"Team Rocket captures Pokémon from around the world," the man said, setting the binoculars down with a surprisingly heavy _thunk_. "They're important tools for keeping our criminal enterprise going."

"An enterprise that _you're_ in charge of," Saylee said, stroking Pedro's beak as he walked up next to her. For intimidation's sake, she also released Chaz; the office was high-ceilinged, making it a little claustrophobic. Chaz grinned and slapped Pedro on the back, noticing his evolution.

"Indeed!" The man said, standing up and showing no visible reaction to the two tall Pokémon looming over him. "I am the leader, Giovanni! And for your insolence..." he selected a pokéball and thrust it into the air. "You will feel a world of pain!"

A huge Onix reared up over all of them, tail sweeping towards the three of them as they faced Giovanni.

{}

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_Incoming Boss Battle! Confusing as the Rocket Base layout is, I've been doing it for thirteen years and on this playthrough I was at Giovanni before I really thought about it XD I was so happy when Pedro evolved. He and Chaz are both kinda overlevelled, but they are my two favourites. At this point, the only one not fully evolved is Olivia, and while I have actually purchased a Leaf Stone, I don't want to use it on her quite yet. I'd like her to learn Petal Dance first, which is quite powerful._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	20. Chapter 20

_Pokémon: 9 Deaths: 9_

Saylee felt Chaz grip her around the arms as he flew out of the way of the descending tail of rock. Pedro was still too new on his large wings to carry her, but both managed to get high enough to be out of the way.

"Miranda, this one's for you!" Saylee said, freeing one arm to chuck a pokéball downwards before scrabbling to hold onto Chaz again. He hefted her up and held onto her securely, flying above the battlefield. Miranda and the Onix both reared up, roaring at each other, before the Onix wrapped itself tightly around Miranda. She roared in pain as it began to crush her.

"Water pulse!" Saylee ordered. Miranda's entire body pulsed as water seeped out from under every scale, blasting into the Onix. It loosened its grip on her and then rolled away, roaring again in pain as pulse after pulse of water blasted into it. Finally, it lay still, rolling limply as another wave buffeted it. Giovanni finally returned it after a longer pause than Saylee liked. Shouldn't he have taken it back to safety as soon as it was down? Much longer and the Onix might well have been fatally wounded.

He replaced it with a Rhyhorn, the heavy Pokémon crushing his desk as it landed on top of the wood to keep itself out of the water. It began attacking Miranda in a fury.

"Oh, come on," Saylee groaned. "Miranda, I'm sure you know what to do!"

"Of course!" Miranda roared, sending another pulse of water right into Rhyhorn's face. It was bowled off of the table and splashed into the water. Giovanni himself raised an arm to ward off a resultant spray of water. He was standing on top of the sofa at the back of the room to stay out of the water, and shuffled along it slightly as his unconscious Rhyhorn slammed into the edge of it.

"Very good!" he said, clapping slowly before returning Rhyhorn. "Very good. Well, I suppose I shall have to get serious."

"Are you kidding me?" Saylee muttered as he selected the third pokéball. She didn't recognize what was released, though, and had to crack out her Pokédex. It was tall and bipedal, brown-bodied with prominent horns on its head and an empty pouch on its pale belly. The Pokédex took a moment to look it up, meaning that the files on it were rarely accessed. This thing was rare, very rare, and— Saylee realized a moment later, when its mega punch collided solidly with Miranda's midsection— very, very strong and quick.

The Pokédex _beeped_. It was a Kangaskhan.

"Dragon rage, Miranda!" Saylee ordered. Miranda reared up and began blasting purple fire, but it didn't seem to damage Kangaskhan too badly. It dodged most of them, bearing down on Miranda.

"Bite," Giovanni ordered. Kangaskhan instantly complied, biting down hard on Miranda's midsection. Miranda howled in pain.

"Miranda, pay him right back!" Saylee yelled. Miranda bit down on Kangaskhan, flinging it across the room. "Now, how about trying out your new trick! Ice beam!"

Miranda roared and sprayed a jet of ice-cold water at Kangaskhan that froze on contact. Kangaskhan fell to the floor in a block of ice. Miranda slumped over, panting.

"Ice beam?" Giovanni said, looking a little thrown off for a moment. "Gyarados doesn't learn that naturally..."

"Lucky for me I found a crate of TMs lying around upstairs, huh?" Saylee said. Giovanni nodded.

"But you have little time until the ice melts... Kangaskhan!" he called. "Try to break out! Do it now!" The ice block began to rock and shake.

"Miranda, back up!" Saylee ordered. "Pedro, wing attack!"

"I'm there," Pedro said, dropping down and slamming into the frozen Pokémon. A crack shot out across its midsection. "Uh, doll?" Pedro called out, hesitating. "I don't think that's just the ice melting..."

"No... dammit," Saylee muttered, taking in Giovanni's utterly unmoved expression as he watched his Pokémon skirting death. "Pedro, pull back. Chaz, flamethrower!"

"Hold on," Chaz said, pulling her away from her chest and dangling her over empty air. Saylee squeaked in fright, but then got it when she felt the heat radiating from his chest as his flame sacs activated. She'd have lost a lot of hair and skin if he'd still been holding tight onto her.

He sprayed a wash of flame over Kangaskhan. It collapsed into the water, burned and in obvious pain, but trying to struggle to its feet. "Damn, that thing takes a lot of beating," Saylee muttered. "Chaz, try another wing attack!"

"Alright!" Chaz held her close again, making himself more aerodynamic and allowing his attack to hit with maximum force. His broad wings knocked Kangaskhan clean off its feet and it hit the wall with a _crack_. Saylee wasn't sure if the noise was Kangaskhan or the slight crater it left in the wall, but the end result was that Kangaskhan didn't get up again. Saylee looked pointedly at Giovanni, who took the hint and returned his half-dead Pokémon.

"Hmmm... I see that you raise Pokémon with utmost care," he said, examining and pocketing the three pokéballs.

"It's just what any _good_ trainer does," Saylee said pointedly. Giovanni just smirked, withdrawing his fist from his pocket.

"A child like you would never understand what I hope to achieve," he said, flexing his thumb. "I shall step aside this time! I hope we meet again..."

"Hold it!" Saylee said, gesturing to Miranda and Pedro to grab him. He threw out some kind of spark bomb, something that caused an electrical pulse that floored both Pedro and Miranda and blew the lights out. Chaz dropped, but managed to recover just in time to avoid hitting the water. Something _splashed_ past Saylee.

By the time she'd drawn Vick and called on him to use flash, Giovanni was gone.

{}

"So, what happens to them?" Saylee asked, watching the people of Celadon dragging the beaten Rockets away. She was sitting on the edge of a broken-down fountain in the middle of town, having tea and breakfast with Erika and the old lady. Saylee figured that Misty could probably fix the fountain and get it flowing again. Celadon didn't have the best supply of fresh water; it all had to be boiled first, like the tea in Pallet, which was probably part of why tea was so popular in both places.

"We'll take their Pokémon, and Mrs Tamamushi here will look after the poor things until they're rehabilitated," Erika said. "As for their pathetic excuses for trainers... we'll drop them in the forest to the north and let them find their own way home from there." She smiled sweetly, but her tone was icy cold.

Saylee didn't comment on the Rockets' fate. The forests were notoriously thick, treacherous, and filled with Pokémon nests. There were hungry Pokémon everywhere that were desperate to feed their young.

"I'm sorry I didn't catch Giovanni," she said instead. "He'll be back for revenge."

"You took out his Pokémon, though, did you not?" Erika said. "It will take him time to replace them."

"Probably... he doesn't seem the type to reuse Pokémon that "failed" him," Saylee said bitterly. "He would have let me kill them if I'd tried to."

"Quite. We have time." Erika picked up the odd white binoculars, which Saylee had retrieved on the way out of the underground hideout. "Where did you get these?"

"Giovanni was examining them," Saylee explained. "They seemed pretty valuable to him."

"That's because they are valuable," Erika said, handing them back. "I saw them once before, in Saffron, before it was taken over by the Rockets. They were made by a research group called Silph. This is a ghost scope."

"A... ghost scope?" Saylee said, thinking of Lavender. Erika nodded.

"It allows you to perceive a ghost's true form," she said. "Normally, they hide in fog and illusions. The scope cuts through all of that. They were developing scopes to allow them to venture into Lavender and perhaps rebuild it... it's full of ghost Pokémon, you see, the souls of the Pokémon who went there to die wandering restlessly. They must be laid to rest, and only one who can perceive their true form can do so."

Chaz, who was perched on the fountain, watching the sky for Pedro's return, leaned down and nudged Saylee's arm. "Saylee, do you want to go to Lavender?" he asked. "Being there before was... upsetting. Maybe it would help to see the ghosts for what they really are?"

"Yeah... you're right," Saylee said, twisting the scope in her hands. Then her hands clenched around the handles of the scope. "Besides... why did Giovanni have this?" she said slowly. "He was planning to go to Lavender too. There might be something there he wants. If I can find it first..."

"There's Pedro," Chaz said, spreading his wings. He raised his head and roared in greeting to the large flying-type approaching them. "He must be back from Pewter. Hey, what's the news?"

"Brock kicked up a fuss until I told him all about Miranda," Pedro said, perching near Chaz. "That shut his yap right up. He's coming part of the way through Diglett tunnel and then he'll dig a new link to the underground tunnels. Misty and Surge can't stop defending their towns, but he's well out of it, so he'll come help defend Celadon. Once he's here, he'll keep his ass in line. Erika trains plants, after all."

"Thank you very much," Erika said, bowing her head to Pedro. "I admit that I am not a tremendous warrior. It will be a great relief to have support."

"Don't worry about it," Saylee said, standing up, clutching the scope. "Pedro, we're going to Lavender next. Although…" she pressed her hand to her mouth to stifle a huge yawn. "Maybe we'll get some sleep first. We'll take a nap and leave about noon. I'll explain on the way to Lavender what we're looking for."

"You're welcome to have a nap in my house, dear," Mrs Tamamushi said.

"Thank you very much," Saylee said, rubbing her eyes. "Oh... before we go, Erika," she added as the leader and Mrs Tamamushi got to their feet, "I need to ask. I'm really looking for my brother, Red. He might have been through here about two or three years ago? You must have seen him. He never lost a match, ever, at least according to him..." she found herself giggling a little, and slapped a hand over her mouth. She was getting giddy with tiredness. Erika smiled.

"Hmmm... I do believe I remember," she said thoughtfully. "Rude boy who broke into my greenhouse even though men aren't allowed—"

"—I noticed, did you know that those bitches on the door accused me of being a guy in drag? Do you see why we had to set the place on fire—?"

"—red hat, red jacket, rather fine Venusaur?"

"That's him!" Saylee nearly shouted. "Where did he go from here?"

"He took the hill south, to Fuchsia," Erika sighed, leading Saylee down a path between the trees. "Unfortunately, that path is currently impassable."

"Why?" Saylee asked, following her down the path, before stopping dead. She took off her glasses, cleaned them thoroughly, then put them back on her nose and confirmed that she wasn't hearing things. "Oh, crap."

"Not _again_!" Pedro yelled. Chaz, in frustration, snorted fire over the impenetrable wall of blubber. The Snorlax didn't so much as roll over.

"Definitely Lavender, then," Saylee groaned, turning on her heel and heading back through Celadon.

{}

"I really don't like sleeping so close to that place," Vick muttered, rolling behind Miranda, who edged away from his static field nervously. "Really _don't_ like it..."

"Neither do I, but it's already dark and I'm sure as hell not going down there in the dark," Saylee sighed, looking down the hill at the swamp of purple mist below them. "I plan to be in and out of there while it's still _light_, thank you. Let's go in tomorrow, grab what the Rockets are after, and get the hell away."

"That's why we're going there?" Olivia asked nervously. Saylee gave her a reassuring little hug.

"It's not the only reason," Daisy murmured. She was levitating slightly, meditating cross-legged nearby. Her coin was swinging slightly. "We need to see the ghost's true forms with our own eyes. Especially Saylee."

"It shook you up, the first time we were here, didn't it?" Chaz said, hugging Saylee gently between his head and left shoulder. "All I saw was mist and a bad feeling that we had to get the hell out..."

"I..." Saylee wrapped one arm around Chaz's head, leaning against it for comfort. "I saw the others. All of them. Wilma, Rachel, Cal, Sparta... Alan, Geoff, Eliza, Melvin, Doug... all of them... and..." she turned her face away. "They were so _angry_ at me... They _hated_ me... and they were calling for me to join them..."

"That's Spearowshit!" Pedro burst out. "None of them were like that! Well, Sparta, maybe," he said in a bit of a mocking tone, "but none of them ever _hated_ you, doll!"

"Melvin wouldn't have blamed you," Miranda said softly. "Or Alan."

"They don't blame you," Daisy said, "and they don't hate you. Those visions in Lavender aren't really them."

"Really?" Saylee said, looking up and quickly dashing a hand across her eyes. "How do you know?"

"I'm an insomniac dream eater," Daisy reminded her. "I do try to avoid eating all of your dreams. They're private ground. But in the depths of night, I can sometimes taste dreams that aren't coming from anything nearby... anything living, anyway..."

Her coin began to swing in hypnotizing circles, perpendicular to the ground.

"Sometimes, I can taste the dreams coming from the other side," she said softly. "Of the spirits who are still very close. They still love you very much, Saylee. They love all of us. They're not in that hell down there..." she nodded at Lavender. "Those are angry, broken and hurt spirits. Your friends are always going to be close to your heart, Saylee. They'll always be with us..." she looked up to the black sky, though what the psychic was seeing, none of them could tell.

"...I'm gonna get some sleep," Pedro said, tucking his head under his wing. "Night, all."

A round of "goodnights" were muttered as everyone bunked down, huddled close together around Chaz' tail. Saylee tucked Olivia securely into her lap and snuggled into Chaz's warm side.

"Goodnight," she murmured, following Daisy's glance upwards for a moment. "...All of you..."

{}

{}

_That Boss Battle was... really short XD To be fair, IRL Miranda just killed everything. She needed a little backup to fight Kangaskhan, but Onix and Rhyhorn really were both dead in under five seconds._

_Onto Lavender Town next! I might have mentioned it before, but this place always has really scared the crap out of me. It was much worst in Gen I, when the music was even creepier, as were the cries and appearances of the ghosts. I think the only thing that scared me more as a kid was Missingno..._

_Special thanks to __**olihmajor**__, who just left about twenty reviews— wow! I'm so glad you like the fic so much, and thank you :)_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	21. Chapter 21

_Pokémon: 9 Deaths: 9_

Saylee had a conundrum. The only way she could completely block out the purple mist and the angry faces swirling in it was if she held the scope directly against her eyes, but she could only do that by taking her glasses off and if she did that she couldn't see at all. Eventually, she had to settle for looking directly forwards and ignoring her peripheral vision.

Looking through the scope, Lavender wasn't much less scary. The broken shells of houses were still pretty creepy, not to mention the fact that when she couldn't see the mist, she could clearly see the bones scattered everywhere. She stepped carefully around them. Only Daisy was at her side; she was the only one who could see through the mist clearly.

Taking the scope away from her eyes for a brief moment, Saylee could confirm that the mist was emanating from the tower cut into the cliff face. Stepping inside the dusty hall, it looked like it had been an opulent building, long ago; the ceiling was high and fallen pieces of masonry seemed to have been finely carved. The floor was thick with dust.

Except for a set of footprints. Human footprints, leading towards the curving staircase upwards. Saylee glanced at Daisy, who was looking thoughtfully up at the ceiling.

"I... can smell the _minds_ of a lot of humans," she said slowly, "but not the _thoughts_. There are humans here... but... not in their minds...?"

"Whatever that means, it doesn't sound good," Saylee said, making for the stairs. They were thick with dust, but marble shone dully in the footprints. This place had once been valuable and well-cared-for. What had happened to this town... to the _world_...?

Upstairs was gloomy and dusty. Saylee could only see because of the scope. She could see rows and rows of crumbling altars, stone encasing a box of ashes with the name and dates of the dead Pokémon carved on the outside. A lot of them were very old, but one new one stood out. It only had a name carved on it, and a person was crouching in front of it. A _real_ human being.

A _familiar_ human being.

"B-Blue?" Saylee called, running over to him, scope pressed to her face. "What are you doing... here..."

She trailed off. Even when looking only at him, her scope was reading as oddly as it did when she was looking only at mist. Daisy had grabbed her arm, too, and seemed apprehensive. Saylee glanced down at her worried face, and then back up to Blue. He hadn't moved.

She took another step forwards, and he jerked to his feet, but oddly, as if he had been _yanked_ up by some great string attached to his head. Saylee stepped back again. This was _not_ normal. "Blue? Talk to me, Blue..."

"Saylee," Daisy said slowly, "_That's not Blue_."

With a slightly mad cackle, Blue threw out a pokéball. His Pidgeotto, Pete, appeared, but he, too, was moving oddly, head flopping limply, not at all with the steady, piercing gaze his species was well-known for. Then he shot towards Saylee's head.

"Saylee, look out!" Daisy yelled, tackling her trainer off her feet. Saylee dropped the scope and scrambled desperately in the mist for it while Pete shot past her again. She yelled in pain as the glancing blow left a long cut on her arm, blood dripping onto the floor.

"Vick!" she yelled, throwing out his pokéball. "Spark! At Pete! Hurry!"

"Alright!" Saylee saw a flash, which cut through the mist long enough to show the scope. She jammed it over her eyes and spun around in time to see Pete hit the ground. Blue didn't even bother to return him, instead replacing him with Adam, his Kadabra. Saylee felt stung at the sight; Blue had kept his Kadabra alive, but Saylee hadn't been able to do the same for Alan.

Adam didn't seem as affected as Pete had been; he looked at his trainer with a worried expression and then turned to Saylee. "What is wrong with Blue?" he asked. It was the first time she'd ever heard him speak. "He... is not right..."

"Miranda," Saylee said, calling out the huge water-type. "Sorry, Adam. Your trainer's possessed, I think. If you don't stand down, you'll have to fight."

"If my trainer is not in control, then I do not have to obey him," Adam said, with a haughtiness that reminded Saylee vividly of his trainer. He stepped aside, looking worried when whatever was pretending to be Blue _snarled_ at him. It threw out a new acquisition of Blue's, a Growlithe. This one was larger and tougher-looking than Greta, and it too was acting oddly.

"Gary! Gary, can you hear me?" Adam called, frowning when he got no response. "He is off, too..."

"We'll have to knock him out, like Pete," Saylee said, nodding to Miranda, who sent a fierce water pulse at Gary. With a little yelp, he collapsed. Adam, with Daisy's help, moved both Gary and Pete off the battlefield. Blue didn't notice, switching to an Exeggcute.

"Miranda, return!" Saylee ordered. "Go, Chaz!" He swished his tail through the mist; it burned up a little on passing.

"Edgar! Edgar, can you hear me?" Adam called again to the Exeggcute. A couple of the heads turned to him, but some seemed to be under whatever spell was controlling Blue and the others. "Curses... he is part psychic too, but he is still young. No control. You may have to take him out too."

"Not may. _Will. _Chaz, will you handle it?" Saylee said, watching Blue closely. He was showing no reaction to his Pokémon being wiped out one after another, none of his usual rage or upset or even the slightest irritation.

"Of course," Chaz said, brushing a flamethrower over the eggs. They keeled right over, rolling away from each other as their psychic link wavered. Adam and Daisy gathered them up. Blue didn't hesitate, but instead released Sam. She was still a Wartortle.

"Sam? Hey, Sam, listen to me!" Chaz called. He yelled in pain as she sprayed a Water Gun at him. "Sam!"

"She cannot hear us either," Adam said sorrowfully.

Saylee returned Chaz. "Vick, you'll have to take her down too."

"Right!" Vick rolled into Sam, sparking all the way. She was knocked over and couldn't get back up.

Blue didn't back down. Instead, snarling in that animal way again, he lunged towards Saylee. She screamed as he bowled her over, slamming her into the hard stone floor, hands closing around her throat.

"SAYLEE!" Saylee winced as Blue's hands jerked roughly away from her throat when Vick slammed into him hard. He rolled away, jerking and twitching with electrical paralysis.

"Adam, take him and get all of you out of here!" Saylee ordered, returning Vick. Daisy looked poised to headbutt Blue square in the face if he made another false move towards her trainer. "NOW!"

"Thank you," Adam said quickly, grabbing his trainer's arm and vanishing into light. Daisy hurried over to help her trainer. Saylee was shaking in shock; she'd dropped the scope again, so the misty illusions were back in full force, on top of the shock of _Blue_ trying to _strangle_ her. Her windpipe still felt sore and constricted. She felt Daisy take a couple of pokéballs from her belt, and then Chaz and Pedro appeared by her side, Chaz nudging her arm and Pedro nipping her other arm. The old comforting gestures and Daisy holding the scope over her eyes slowly helping her calm down.

"What the hell happened?" Pedro asked, looking at her with concern.

"Blue and Sam didn't look in great shape," Chaz said, sounding unsettled. "How long have they been here?"

"Not too long... dust hadn't settled in Blue's footprints..." Daisy said, shaking her head. "That was absolutely sick. Whatever's controlling this place is possessing people. It possessed Blue and made him attack us."

"That tailfeather always attacks us, what's new?" Daisy shook her head.

"Not battling with Pokémon," she said. "Well, at first he did. When he ran out of Pokémon, he went for Saylee's throat with his bare hands."

"He _WHAT?!" _Pedro and Chaz's combined roars of rage seemed to shake the building. Both began looking around wildly, scanning the smoke for the vanished trainer.

"He's gone, guys," Vick said. "I took him out and his Kadabra zapped him out of here. He's probably unconscious in a field somewhere. Beating the crap out of him won't do you any good. We need to beat the crap out of whoever stirred up the ghosts this much."

"What do you mean, stirred them up?" Daisy asked. Vick rolled his eyes.

"Look, I told you, I've been here before," he said. "There've always been ghosts around here, yeah, but they've always been... I dunno, kinda sad. Never _angry_. And they've never _possessed_ living people before. There's something going on here that's screwier than a bucket of Magneton."

"And I'd bet all the gold in the Game Corner that Team Rocket have something to do with it," Saylee muttered, reaching up to clutch the scope and clambering to her feet with Chaz and Pedro's help. "Thanks, guys. I'm okay now. I'm just..." she lowered the scope for a moment, glaring at the swirling mist.

"I'm _really _pissed off now."

{}

"Blooood... I... neeeed... bloooood..."

"How about _no_?!" Saylee yelled, wrenching the woman's emaciated grip off her wrist. There were dozens of robed women wandering around, moaning about blood and souls, and they'd all convened on Saylee the second she set food on the second floor of the building. They were all moving in the same odd, jerky way that Blue had. It was deeply disturbing, and Saylee was having a hard time holding onto the scope while fending them off. Daisy, Vick and Olivia were knocking them all out as much as they could, but always there were more, and each floor was more tightly packed with hundreds and thousands of altars to dead Pokémon. There was no room for Miranda, Chaz or Pedro.

"Saylee, through here!" Olivia called, ushering her through a gap in the altars just large enough to crawl through. Saylee glanced back nervously at the possessed women; as they collapsed, purple mist was emanating from them, purple mist that she could see through the scope. She pointed her Pokédex at the mist quickly, before crawling away.

She glanced at her Pokédex as she clambered over another altar, thinking apologies at it hard. It said that she was facing Gastly and Haunter, ghost Pokémon. The forms that the souls of Pokémon took when they were roused. However, according to the Pokédex, only one in a thousand Pokémon usually became one. From the looks of the tower, every Pokémon that had ever been buried there had risen.

"What the hell did this to them?" Saylee puffed, clambering over another altar and finding herself at the foot of the stairs. She stood still for a moment, listening carefully. Was that sound... crying?

She leaned around the stairs. It sounded like a child weeping, hidden in the space under the stairs. In the hidden corner, she could see a small, dark shape, shuddering as it sobbed. "Hello?" she called, reaching carefully towards it. "It's okay... hello?"

The shape froze, and then turned. Saylee yelped in pain as something hard hit her outstretched wrist. The jolt up her injured arm left her clutching it tightly while the small Pokémon came out swinging.

"Saylee!" Olivia called, stepping in front of her. "What is it?"

"Human!" The little Pokémon screamed. She was small and brown, but was wearing a huge, white skull on her head and swinging a long bone. "Where's Mama? What happened to Mama? Give her back!"

"I don't know!" Saylee yelled, looking nervously in the direction of the possessed women. "Please calm down... I haven't done anything to your Mama!"

"Humans took her away! Where is she?!" The little Pokémon screamed. Tears were dripping out from under the skull.

_Just a frightened child,_ Saylee thought. "Olivia, sleep powder!" Olivia sprayed blue powder from her flower bud, and the little Pokémon slowly tottered forwards before collapsing.

"What now?" Olivia said, as Saylee scanned her with her Pokédex. A Cubone. Very rarely seen, only ever in burial grounds like these and even then not often. "We can't just leave her here." The moaning of the possessed women was coming closer, as well as Vick's electric blasts and flashes of Daisy's psychic power.

Saylee looked down at the Cubone. She was still muttering for her mother in her sleep. "I'll hang onto her until we can find her mother," she said, taking out a pokéball and capturing the Cubone. Fast asleep, she didn't so much as twitch to resist. Saylee cradled the pokéball close for a moment before settling it gently in her bag.

Daisy and Vick appeared from behind a heap of altars at a dead run— or roll, in Vick's case.

"Up we go!" Vick yelled, rolling himself up the curved staircase. Saylee scooped up Olivia, who couldn't run very fast, and followed, with Daisy hot on her heels.

{}

{}

_I can't remember if they changed it for Gen III, but I vividly remember the Channeller from Gen I who screamed for blood. Scared the living crap out of me. There was another who constantly complained of feeling anaemic, which creepily implied that the ghosts were _drinking her blood_. Um, yeah... what age group was this game for again?_

_Also, sorry these are coming out so erratically. Life is not exactly an organized place for me right now, and between assessments and rehearsals I haven't been afforded much time to play video games or write. Doesn't help that I'm reading through an absolutely fantastic YuGiOh 5Ds fic right now... fanfic this amazing always makes me insecure about my own writing abilities :P (To any other YGO 5Ds fans in the audience: My Dark King. It's an AU starting midway through the Dark Signer arc, where Jack dies in his duel with Carly, becomes a Dark Signer, and things just go to Hell from there. Literally. Fantastic character development, cleverly mapped out and tied together, and absolutely EPIC in scope. Chapters come out only every few months but they ARE generally upwards of 20,000 words, so only start it if you have a lot of time on your hands XD_

_ s/5670368/1/My_Dark_King_

_READ IT NOW. Seriously XD)_

_Name: Carrie. Species: Cubone. Nature: Careful. Ability: Rock Head._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	22. Chapter 22

_Pokémon: 10 Deaths: 9_

"I don't like this, I _really_ don't like this..." Saylee muttered, rubbing her arms and watching the white light dance over them. She looked up to the possessed women roaming and moaning outside of the dome of white light.

"Relax, child, they cannot harm ye here," the old woman who was maintaining the field murmured, not opening her eyes or moving from her meditative position. "Ye and your friends are tired and weak, girl. Rest. Ye are safe here."

"You want me to _sleep_ here?" Saylee said, cuddling Olivia, who looked similarly terrified by the prospect.

"Ha, no," Vick agreed. "Just tell us how the hell to calm the ghosts down so we can do it and get the crap out of here before sundown."

"Those men upstairs are not good men," the old lady said softly. "Ye shall want to be rested afore ye face them."

"Men upstairs?" Saylee asked, clenching her fist around the scope. "Team Rocket are already _here_?"

"Aye, those evil men," the woman muttered acidly. "They who desecrated holy altars. They who beat and took away the holy man who kept the dead so calm. They who spilled a mother's blood on holy ground to steal her babes!"

"They... _what_?" Saylee gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth as bile rose. How much more were Team Rocket going to _do_?!

"They murdered a mother Marowak to take her cubs away," the old woman growled. "They forced the poor children to bear witness to this terrible deed. This bloodshed greatly angered the spirits. Fuji, the holy man, did keep them calm for a time, but the evil men feared his powers and took him away. Thus the spirits rose, their rage uncontainable."

"They killed their mother... in front of them?" Olivia whimpered, glancing at Saylee's bag where the Cubone's pokéball still rested.

"That's... sick," Vick muttered. "That's it. Their asses are getting _such_ a kicking. I don't know how, since I don't have legs, but I'll figure something out."

"I'm with you on that," Olivia said. "I feel great, Saylee. This purified spot is amazing. Let's go on up and get rid of them so we can get out of here, okay?"

"Are you sure you're okay, Olivia?" Daisy said, though she too was getting to her feet. "You seem... shaken."

"I just... don't like this place," Olivia muttered. "I have a bad feeling about it."

"Surprise, surprise," Vick muttered. "Cheer up, 'Liv. It's not like Team Rocket are tough or anything,"

"He's right there," Saylee said, standing up and steeling herself to fight through the possessed women. "Thank you for protecting and healing us, ma'am, but we're not going to let Team Rocket get away with this for one more second. We're going to get rid of them now. We'll see you on the way down."

"Take care, child," the old woman said, watching Daisy blast aside several possessed women so they could run for the stairs. "Take care..."

{}

"This floor's really... quiet," Saylee said, taking the scope away from her eyes and then quickly slamming it back into place. With it on, all she could see was the multitude of Gastly and Haunter flying towards the ceiling, clawing at it, glaring at it. Without the scope, she could literally _see_ their boiling rage, manifested into forms that were probably going to make up her nightmares for the rest of forever.

They were all avoiding the stairs, though. It gave Saylee an ominous feeling.

"It's probably because they're the stairs up to the shrine on the roof," Olivia said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself as much as Saylee. "The old woman mentioned that they can't go up there..."

"Never thought I'd _look forward_ to seeing Team Rocket's ugly mugs," Saylee joked. The others giggled a little— anything to break the tension.

Then she stepped onto the first step and the world was wrapped in shadows.

_GET... OUT..._

"What?!" Saylee yelled, looking around wildly. She could only see darkness. She took off the scope, but still there was nothing to see but darkness. Slowly, mist began to seep towards her, and then two huge, angry, glowing eyes loomed at her out of the black.

"No!" Saylee screamed, slipping backwards. Daisy caught her and shook her.

"The scope, Saylee!" she yelled. "Use the scope! This isn't the same as the other ghosts!"

"R-right!" she said, grabbing the scope and looking through it again. They eyes faded and she could see the angry shape standing behind them.

She didn't need to look at the Pokédex to guess what the new Pokémon was. It was Marowak.

"Marowak!" she called. "Let us through! We're going to stop your murderers!"

Marowak just screamed, flinging her bone club at Saylee. It may have been a ghost's weapon, but it _felt_ real. Saylee screamed in pain as her left arm was struck for the third time. The healing space had made her feel a bit better, but the touch of the ghost bone seemed to cut both previous injuries open afresh

"Stop, Marowak!" Daisy called. "We're not Team Rocket! We're trying to help you!"

"We want to help your children! Please, Marowak!" Olivia pleaded. Marowak just flung her bone again, this time nearly hitting Daisy. Vick rolled quickly out of the way.

"How do we calm her down?" Saylee yelled, standing protectively in front of Vick. Marowak's bonemerang could easily be fatal to him. Olivia dived forwards. "Olivia!"

"What the hell are you doing, 'Liv?" Vick yelled. Before the bone could return, Olivia jumped onto Marowak's head and planted her hands and feet firmly on her skull mask— or was it really her head?

_Planted_ was an appropriate term. Roots extended from her hands and feet and leeched into Marowak's head. Marowak gave a keening cry and missed catching her bone when it returned.

"Olivia!" Saylee yelled. Olivia ignored her, red light instead of the usual green energy seeping up the vines.

"Please calm down, Marowak," Olivia said. "We've seen one of your children. We want to help the rest. I know you're angry that they took your children away. I know you're angry that you can't reach them... so please, give me your anger. Give us all of your rage, and we'll give it to Team Rocket for you!"

Marowak wailed again. And then, as red light continued to seep up the vines, she began to cry.

Slowly, she faded. Olivia dropped to the ground, shaking a little.

"Olivia!" Saylee cried, running to her Pokémon's side, crouching and reaching out to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Saylee," Olivia said quietly. "I'm just... really, _really_ angry."

"Us too, 'Liv," Vick grumbled. "Let's get up there and get this done, okay?"

"Right." Olivia stormed up ahead of even Saylee, her bud glowing red in her angry need to beat up some Rockets.

{}

The rooftop was lined with cages, each one containing a solitary, crying baby Cubone. Olivia whipped out a leaf and, holding it like a sword, proceeded to cut through the steel bars of the cages.

"What the hell are you _doing_?" A man yelled, appearing from behind the cages. He was dressed like a Rocket, and had a whip in his hand. That was all it took for Olivia to lunge on him. He threw out a Koffing and a Drowzee to defend himself.

"You handle the cages, 'Liv!" Vick yelled, attacking the Drowzee. "We'll handle these guys! Go!"

"Fine!" Olivia yelled, though her supernatural rage didn't look like it would be satisfied until she got to cut down some Rockets. She took off down the rows of cages, slicing them open, and some of the Cubone joined the fray, viciously attacking the men who had murdered the mother Marowak. There were even a few Marowak in the cages, all determined to avenge their fallen sister.

"She said the old man's name was "Fuji"... Mr Fuji?" Saylee called. "Mr Fuji, are you here?"

"What the hell are you doing here, girl?" a Rocket snarled, grabbing Saylee by the bag strap as she ran around a wrecked cage. She shrieked and tried to jerk out of his grasp, managing only to break her bag strap.

"My bag!" she screamed as it dropped off the edge of the tower and out of sight. In a rage, she released Chaz and Pedro, who had room to fly now that they were on the roof. Pedro immediately went for the man with full-on beak and talons. Chaz began melting the sides off of cages, his broad wings knocking aside any Rocket that went near him. Saylee rounded a cage, carefully lifting out an undersized baby Cubone and scooting it gently towards the stairs. Checking more wrecked cages, she saw that Olivia had left the cages again and was battling a Raticate furiously.

The large rat fell moments later, and the desperate Rocket released a Rattata in an attempt to do any damage at all to the enraged grass-type. It, too, barely lasted seconds.

Another Rocket stepped out from behind a pile of wrecked cages, right behind Olivia, who had set about the now unarmed Rocket and hadn't noticed. He released a Golbat. Saylee looked around wildly for Vick, but she couldn't see him or any telltale flashes of electricity. "Olivia, LOOK OUT!" She screamed.

Olivia started to turn, but she didn't see Golbat in time. She didn't move aside in time.

More blood splattered across the tower roof.

"OLIVIAAAAAAAAAA!"

Saylee bolted forwards, scooping up Olivia in her arms as she fell, skidding on the blood on the ground. Vick rolled around a pile of ruined cages, taking in the scene with horror, and then slammed into the offending Golbat and shot out so much electricity that he took out the trainer as well. Nobody noticed or really cared, all crowded around Olivia.

"Olivia!" Chaz roared. "Dammit, Olivia! Don't you DARE die now! Don't you want to evolve? Don't you want to bloom? You always talked about it…" his claws clenched. "And you're just going to give it up now?!"

"Sorry…" Olivia murmured softly, her voice little more than a rustle of grass in a soft wind. "I was so mad… but… are those Cubone… free now?"

Saylee looked coldly over the slumped form of the last Rocket, and then nodded at Chaz and Pedro over the lump in her throat. "Guys, make with the metal claw and the aerial ace to get the last of these little guys out of their cages, will you?"

"But…" Chaz said, staring helplessly down at Olivia, who managed a smile.

"Marowak… she'll be happy now… right?" she murmured. "Her babies… are safe…"

Saylee nodded, cradling the little blue body closely. A moment later, a shaking yellow hand rested on her shoulder.

"She's gone," Daisy whispered. "She's… gone…"

Saylee nodded, looking down at Olivia blankly. Vick rolled over, looking from Olivia to the Golbat furiously.

"What kind of idiot are you?" Vick growled, sparking slightly. "You let her go into that battle, even though you _knew_ she'd be at a disadvantage! I could've handled that fight like _that_! And now that one of your own Pokémon is dead, you don't even cry for her?! What kind of—"

"That's ENOUGH!" Chaz roared, pushing Vick back. He rolled uncontrollably until he hit a cage, frightening the Cubone still trapped inside, and swivelled to face Saylee, mouth opening in another angry retort…

And froze as the sight of the thick streams dripping from her chin and nose.

"Sorry," Saylee whispered, clutching Olivia's vacant, dropping form like a child. "She'd be sad if she thought she'd made me cry. I promised myself… she wouldn't see me cry…" Saylee slumped over, shoulders shaking violently, her hair managing to hide her face though it couldn't stop the tears pouring. "I'm sorry… I'm…"

A pale, wrinkled hand patted her hair. "Now there, child," Mr Fuji said, a kind smile on his face. "She died in this holy place, and that alone will send her among the flowers forever. Now, shall we give her a proper burial?"

"Y… yes… thank you…" Saylee whispered. "Please… I need a monument… Not just for her, but for all… the fallen…"

"That we can do," Mr Fuji said with a smile. "I have another like that, for another trainer who mourned each and every of his Pokémon like his kin… this way."

{}

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_That went really badly... All of my Pokémon were injured, I had to throw out someone while I healed up Vick, Olivia was the only one not in the red. Supereffective wing attack is a bitch._

_RIP Olivia. Level 12-31._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	23. Chapter 23

_Pokémon: 10 Deaths: 10_

"We'll just find your bag and be back, alright?" Chaz said, putting his claw on Saylee's forearm. She just nodded, staring down at the table. Frowning at the lack of real response, Chaz led the others out, looking over his shoulder worriedly. Mr Fuji lived in a broken-down hut with a sheet stretched across the remnants of the walls, along with his granddaughter, a tiny little girl who was playing with the freed baby Cubone like she was one of them. Somehow, the man had fresh food and drinks, and was currently trying to get Saylee to eat something.

"Will she be alright?" Daisy asked nervously as they trekked over to the tower and started looking for Saylee's bag. "She's awfully upset…"

"Well… we haven't lost anybody for a while, have we?" Pedro said, flapping his wings and flying upwards to look around. "Not since Alan."

"Alan?" Vick asked, rolling carefully around.

"He was a Kadabra," Chaz explained. "Before your time. Died training Daisy. After that, we went a long time without losing anybody…"

"She liked Olivia a lot, too," Miranda sighed. "Olivia had so much drive… she always helped Saylee pick herself up when others died…"

"…Look, I'm sorry for what I said to her in the Tower," Vick said softly to Chaz. "I was a real wanker. I was angry, and not at her, at… everything. I liked Olivia a lot, y'know?"

"Everyone liked Olivia," Chaz said shortly. "Come on, let's find Saylee's bag. We could get that Cubone she rescued, too. She has to remember that we came here to save them, to stop Team Rocket. Saylee needs to see that something good came out of this, or else it's the end of all of us. If she gives up here…"

Saylee was clearly hurting extremely badly over Olivia's loss. It was worse than when Alan had died. She wasn't entirely catatonic; rather, she was utterly defeated. She kept muttering to herself that she "couldn't do this anymore". Chaz knew that she was always afraid of losing her friends, always scared that what she wanted to do wasn't worth their lives. And that scared him; it scared all of them. They all hated themselves for the shared, unspoken thought. _You die if you travel alone, and Pokémon from different species don't cohabit well without humans mediating. We're all dead without her. We need her._

"Found it!" Pedro screeched, swooping down and reappearing clutching Saylee's bag. Chaz dug through for the newest pokéball, cursing his large claws as he fiddled with the button. _Made for humans. How could Miranda travel so far without it? Pokémon can't do this. Not on our own._

"Mama…?" The little ground-type said uncertainly as she appeared, looking around at the unfamiliar Pokémon. "What happened? Mama… No… they killed her…" She slumped down, clutching her beskulled head in her paws.

Chaz crouched in front of her, settling his head down on the ground in submission to look at her. "Hey there. My name's Chaz. It's okay, little one. We got them all. The men that killed your Mama… they won't be killing anyone else."

"…really?" The Cubone asked softly, looking up. Under the skull, it was impossible to tell if she was still crying or not. Chaz could only faintly make out the large black eyes staring out of the depths. "That's good… but… who are you? What's happening now?"

"We're Saylee's Pokémon," Chaz explained. "The girl you attacked wasn't a Rocket… she wasn't with the men that killed your Mama. She's a trainer. We're travelling together. We want you to travel and fight with us. What's your name?"

"I-it's Carrie. Travel…?" She gasped, wide-eyed. "With a trainer? For real?"

"If you want," Chaz said with a nod. "But it's dangerous, Carrie. Pokémon die doing this. Friends of ours have died doing this. One of them died in that tower, fighting the Rockets."

"Oh…" Carrie looked down, and then back up. "There are more Rockets in other places, aren't there? Are we going to find them? Are we going to fight them?"

"Just point us in the right direction, kid," Pedro promised, "and we will _break_ them."

"Then I want to come even _more_," Carrie said grimly, picking up her bone and standing up. "I want to go meet Saylee and thank her… where is she?"

"Mr Fuji's," Chaz explained, picking up the bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "This way."

"Mr Fuji's nice," Carrie said thoughtfully. "He always looked after the dead ones so well. And I saw him take in some cubs before, whose Mama just died and didn't have anywhere to go. He makes sure everybody's okay."

"Let's hope he can do that for Saylee," Daisy mumbled, "Because she's very upset. She's crying again…"

"What?" Chaz growled, darting towards the house and pausing by a window.

Saylee was slumped over, elbows on the table, chin in her right hand, eyes staring dead and vacant at nothing. It was just like when Alan had died. Mr Fuji looked concerned.

"It's all my fault," she whispered. "I keep doing such _stupid_ things… they keep _dying_ because of me… I keep taking them away from their homes and families, and for _what_?!"

"Most wild Pokémon feel they have better prospects being looked after by a trainer than fighting it out in the wild…" Mr Fuji began, but Saylee snarled and slammed her fists on the table.

"Not with me!" she sobbed. "All they get is _death_! I can't even… I can't do a damn thing! And I can't even keep track of why I'm doing this, Mr Fuji… look how many names I had to carve on that monument… all because of _me_! _It's not worth it!_"

"What about _your_ home and family, Saylee?"

Saylee choked out a sob as she stared at Pedro, who despite protestations had stepped through the doorway and bowing his head towards her, looking piercingly at his trainer.

"Tell me, Saylee," he demanded. "In my nest, two of my brothers and a sister from my hatching died soon. Our mother could only find food enough for four, and there were seven of us. So four of us lived. But you humans… you have food for four, and you _make_ it be food for seven. I've never seen a human child abandoned, alone… Pallet, above all, is a town _made up_ of those who got abandoned, and _still_ found a place to look after them, a place that couldn't even make the food to sustain itself. Are you saying they're not worth it?"

"Pedro… it's not…" Saylee sobbed.

"Fuji's right, Saylee," Miranda said, peering in the window. "Even if I die as a result of coming with you… I don't regret it. I'd have died not long after anyway, a pathetic little Magikarp splashing in a puddle. It's all we seem to do. With you, I have a chance to be so much more…" she managed what for a Gyarados was a smile. "I have friends, and even if I lose them, I still had them. It's all valuable, Saylee."

"Even if good times come to a sad end," Daisy said, "Those good times still happened. Even if those we love die, they still lived. All of that time is precious." She swung her pendulum coin slightly. "Are you saying that it would be better if that time had never happened?"

"Go ahead and cry," Vick said, looking ashamed. "But then you have to keep going. You're still alive. I don't think Olivia… or any of them… would want you to die with them."

"Your family needs you, Saylee," Chaz said, leaning as much of his body as would fit through the door and resting his head on her arm. "Your _brother_ needs you. You're still alive, Saylee, and so are we, and no matter how that ends I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"Ch-Chaz… ev-v-veryone…" Saylee gasped, tears trickling down her cheeks. She started when Carrie climbed into her lap.

"If you'd never come," she said solemnly, "if none of that had ever happened… I'd be in a cage right now. So would all of my brothers and sisters. Mama… she'd never be able to rest. Thank you." She hung her head. "Maybe it sounds selfish, but even though it hurt you… I'm glad you got here. I'm glad that you saved us. Olivia saved us, and we won't forget. We'll never forget… her… or Mama… or you…"

Saylee reached out her shaking arms and held Carrie close. "It's not selfish," she whispered. "I am. You're right… you're all right… I'm so sorry…" she began shaking again as huge, cleansing sobs finally ripped themselves from her chest, hot tears washing down her cheeks.

She cried with Carrie for a while, hugging her like a child. Chaz stayed close to her side, leaning his head gently against her bandaged arm, his warmth soothing her. Pedro, Daisy and Vick crowded around too. Miranda leaned through the window, getting as close as she could to them.

"We're not going to give up," Chaz said, "so don't you give up either. Not ever."

It took them a while to notice the soft music that was floating around them, a gentle, soothing tune that seemed to lift everyone's spirits. When Saylee looked up, she spotted Mr Fuji sitting across the table, playing a flute. They watched him for some time, listening to the gentle music, and thinking of Olivia.

{}

"Take the flute with you," Mr Fuji said, pressing it into Saylee's hands as she left. She stared at it in surprise and then tried to hand it back to Mr Fuji.

"I can't take this," she protested. "Don't you need this to calm the ghosts down?"

"Hmph, I need no toys to settle the dead!" the old man laughed. "Please, take it with you. A good girl like you who cares about her Pokémon will be able to make good use of it, I think. Just playing it can wake up anyone sleeping, and if you learn to play it, you might learn to play the song that calms hearts. Take it, Saylee. I think you need it."

"...Thank you," Saylee said, tucking the flute into her belt. She ran a finger along its length, and then reached out to shake Mr Fuji's hand. "Thank you for everything, Mr Fuji."

"No, Saylee, I should thank _you_," Mr Fuji said warmly, pulling her into a surprise hug. "You saved the Cubone and set Megan to rest. I can't thank you enough for that. If you ever need anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate to call on me."

"Don't worry about it, unless you have a secret entrance into Saffron City," Saylee laughed. Mr Fuji looked thoughtful.

"I wouldn't say there _is_ a secret entrance," he mused, "but I'll tell you this, if there's anyone who can find or make a secret entrance, it'd be the ninja clan to the south."

"The south... Fuchsia?" Saylee asked, pulled out her map. Mr Fuji nodded, tapping the spot on the map.

"Aye, they claim to be able to get into anywhere and steal anything," he mused. "They're unwaveringly loyal to their leader... Well, I wonder what would happen if he was defeated?" He chuckled again. "Get to it, girl. Looks like you've got a lot to do."

"Thanks again, Mr Fuji!" Saylee called, returning most of her Pokémon and making to leave. She only left Carrie out, and she went to say goodbye to her friends and siblings where they played with Mr Fuji's granddaughter.

"Give us a shout anytime, Carrie, and we'll come help!" One of them insisted.

"Yeah, let us beat up some Rockets!" Another insisted. "We'll train hard and grow up strong, and we'll come fight with you!"

"That human you're with better make you big and strong!"

"Look after yourself!"

"See you soon!"

"Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!" Carrie called back, leaving with Saylee. Saylee scooped her up, carrying her in your arms. Carrie leaned against her shoulder, looking up at Saylee. "Saylee... you don't... resent me being here instead of Olivia, do you?"

Saylee looked down at her in surprise, and gave her a hug. "Of course I don't, Carrie!" she insisted. "I really am glad that you're coming with us, if you want to. I do miss Olivia... I _am_ sad that she's not here..." she smiled a little. "No. She'll always be here, a little. So I don't have to miss her too much. And I can enjoy getting to know a new friend as well!" She plucked Carrie's bone out of her hands and tapped it off her skull. "So no more silly thoughts like that, okay?"

Carrie giggled. "Okay, then," she agreed.

"The only ones I resent," Saylee said firmly, "Are Team Rocket."

"We're _definitely_ agreed on that," Carrie said, taking her bone back and waving it at Saffron City.

{}

{}

_This was the first time I'd ever used a Cubone ever. And now that I have I think I'll make a point of always using them, because they are _awesome.

_Sorry for the long waits for such short chapters. Uni's been a lot of work at the moment. It might be a while to the next one, since I have to write a ten-minute version of Chushingura for class. The full play is eleven hours. Arceus help me._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	24. Chapter 24

_Pokémon: 10 Deaths: 10_

"Saylee," Daisy said, appearing out of her pokéball. "I can hear Adam."

"Adam?" Saylee said in confusion, before remembering. "Blue's Kadabra?"

Daisy nodded, pointing to a copse of trees nearby. Saylee pushed through the thick vegetation to find a small clearing in the middle. Some clean tree stumps indicated that it hadn't been a clearing for long. Blue was sitting on a stump in the middle, drinking from a bottle of water. He was pale, looking exhausted and weak, but seemed to be in control of himself. Adam was sitting on a stump across from him and Sam was leaning against his side.

"Blue," Saylee called, striding over to take a seat on another cleared stump. Blue managed to summon up a token glare before sagging. "How do you feel?"

"I'm starving," he muttered. "I must've lost my bag at some point. All I have with me are my Pokémon. They're starving, too... feels like I've been having nightmares for weeks."

"When did you go into the Tower, Blue?" Saylee asked. Blue rubbed his forehead, closing his eyes as he thought back.

"It was, uh… Cresselday, I think…" he muttered. "It's still July, right?"

"Yeah, but it's Arsday," Saylee said, setting down Carrie and digging in her bag. "Catch," she said, tossing a couple of sandwiches that Mr Fuji had made for her at Blue. He reacted too slowly, getting hit on the nose by them. "Oops. Sorry."

"You throw like a girl," he muttered, unwrapping and biting into a sandwich. His movements were painfully slow and laborious. Saylee dug out the bag of water weeds and meats that Miranda preferred.

"Do you want something, Sam?" she asked, selecting several weeds and beginning to carefully shred them down into smaller chunks—Sam's mouth and throat were far smaller than Miranda's. Sam watched the weeds hungrily, glancing up at Blue, who nodded. Saylee piled them onto a wooden plate from the depths of her bag and handed it to Carrie to take over.

"Thanks," Blue said tiredly. "Adam's okay, though..."

"He synthesizes necessary nutrients from his surroundings, I know," Saylee said with a little smile. "Alan once confessed that, while he understands the concept of a digestive system, he found it an unnecessarily complex way of going about things."

"It _is_," Adam insisted. Blue just took another bite of his sandwich. "And _yours_ has been lying idle for five days, Blue, so you may wish to slow down."

"He's right, you don't want to hurt yourself," Saylee said, continuing to dig into her bag. "What about Pete and... what were the other two? Edgar and Gary?"

"How do you know their names?" Blue said suspiciously, releasing his Growlithe and Pidgeotto. "Ed'll be fine, he synthesizes his own nutrients as well. When did you learn their names, though?"

"Adam called them by name in the Tower," Saylee said, finding Chaz's bag of chilli meats and offering some to Gary, giving some of the milder meat from Miranda's bag to Pete. "I figure you guys won't be up to hunting just now."

"Thanks, lady!" Gary said, digging in to his meat. Blue nudged him slightly with his toe.

"Slow up there," he muttered. "I know you guys won't be feeling as bad as me since you were mostly in your pokéballs, but it's still been a while since you've eaten." Saylee handed him a bottle and Sam filled it, allowing Blue to take a drink. "How did you avoid getting possessed, Saylee? They just... came out of nowhere..."

"These helped," Saylee said, taking out the Silph Scope and showing it to him. "They allow me to see ghosts for what they really are, so I could see them coming. Also, I kinda knew what to expect going in there, so I went prepared. Had Daisy out of her pokéball at all times and everything." She reached over and squeezed Daisy's shoulder. The dreameater put her paw on Saylee's hand, before sitting down to meditate. "Why were you there, Blue? If the ghosts were active that far back, Team Rocket must have been holed up there for some time..."

"Yeah... when I got there, the Rockets were all over the place, chasing down baby Cubone," Blue said. "I was there because I'd heard Cubone live there, and was thinking one might make a good addition to my team." He glanced at Carrie, who had clambered into Saylee's lap. "They're grave guardians, and pretty tough. But Cubone and Marowak both were getting thrown into cages by a bunch of thieving jackasses. I got into a fight with some of them. Must've been six on one. Not like they're strong or anything, it was a doddle for my team to handle, but one of them cheated— even more, I mean. Tipped over a bunch of altar stones on Rick— my Raticate— while he was grappling with another Raticate..." he looked down, fisting his hands enough to crush the remnants of the sandwich into a pulpy mass, grief and rage struggling on his face. "The falling altars... roused up all that mist. They bolted, leaving their Pokémon behind. I-I tried to get Rick out... The mist got me..."

Saylee hesitated, and then stood up, moving over to sit next to him and putting an arm around his shoulders like they used to do to each other when they were kids and the other was sad, or scared, or lonely. He jerked his shoulders, not strong enough to fling her arm off, but she dropped it anyway, getting the message. He sighed heavily, and then gently leaned over against her shoulder. She put her arm around him again, accepting the silent apology.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "Team Rocket killed my Rattata, Rachel, as well. And... in the Tower... they killed Olivia. My Gloom. She'd really w-wanted... to evolve..." Saylee couldn't speak anymore, over the heavy lump in her throat.

"Saylee, you really shouldn't keep doing this," Blue said gruffly. "I mean, you've lost a few, haven't you? And it hurts you, I know it. Dammit, I know how badly losing _Rick_ hurt, and now I'm sitting here terrified that I could lose another at any moment. Don't tell me you don't feel the same."

"I do," Saylee muttered, "but I haven't found Red yet... and Team Rocket are dangerous. If they keep growing, they could attack Pallet... they need to be found and stopped."

"And why does it need to be _you_ who does it?" Blue demanded, sitting up. He grabbed her bag strap where she'd pinned the four emblems. "What the fuck are those gangsters good for if not fighting each other? Why aren't any of _them_ fighting Team Rocket? Saylee, you're a kid out on her own. It doesn't have to be _you_! You don't need to keep doing this!"

"I _do_!" Saylee snapped back, hurt by the "kid" comment. "They _are_ fighting Team Rocket, Blue, but all-out gang warfare isn't the way to do it. In Celadon, fighting in the streets was just going to get a lot of people killed. On my own, I snuck in and beat the guy overseeing the place, which made them abandon it. I _can_ do it, Blue, so why the hell _not_ me? Anyway, I'm not really on my own... I've got my Pokémon..." she patted Carrie's skull. "And it hurts losing them, Blue, it hurts so much I don't know what to do sometimes. But all of them chose to be with me. They chose to fight those fights. And I refuse to waste their lives by giving up on that fight now!" She realized that she was agitated and shouting, and it hurt her bruised throat. She took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm down. Blue was confrontational, and starting a shouting match would do them no good. Calming herself, she said levelly, "this didn't start about Team Rocket, but Team Rocket's a big part of it now, so I'm going to see it through. It's still about Pallet, and it's still about Red. If your sister was missing, wouldn't you look for her?"

"Of course I would," Blue said venomously. "I'd do the same for..." he looked down at Sam, who was struggling with an overlarge chunk of weed, and ripped it in half for her. "If it _was_ Daisy who was missing," he asked, not looking up from his water Pokémon, "of _course_ I'd go looking for her. If I did... would you want to help?"

"Of course," Saylee said, thrown off by the question. "You're my friends, after all, even if _you've_ been a real jerk for a while now. I'm sure Red would want to help, too." Blue nodded, looking away with a scowl. Saylee's eyes widened. "You are _not_ saying you've been out here to help me this whole time?"

"Shut up," Blue muttered. "You and Red are the only friends I have—"

"What about Daisy?"

"She's my sister. Not the same thing at all. The two of you are my only friends and Red's already good as gone, so I am dead serious when I say I'm not going to let you vanish the same way, got it?" he snapped. "I get that you're too stupid to keep safe, and I get you don't want me hanging out with you. But I _am_ going to be around, Saylee, because _someone's_ got to stop your stupid ass vanishing into the ether like Red."

"...I don't know whether to be touched or pissed off," Saylee confessed. She dropped her hand off his shoulder, taking off her hat to comb her fingers through her hair distractedly. "And you know, I think I'd _like_ to travel with you if you were, well... old Blue. Not the new jackass model. I'm not a fan of him."

"Fair enough," Blue said, sighing. He reached out and carefully touched Saylee's arm. "Did the Rockets do that? And— what's on your neck? Are those _bruises_?"

"They got theirs from Chaz and Pedro," Saylee said, not wanting to tell Blue that the bruises on her neck came from _him_.

"Saylee…" Blue rubbed his eyes, pulling himself out of the slump that he'd fallen into.

"Hey, Blue, are you alright?" Sam asked, jerking out of a half-doze. "I think you need some sleep, hon. It's getting late, and you need your rest."

"In the morning, I can help you get to Celadon City," Saylee offered that. "You can rest up there, and Erika's got some great herbal medicines that ought to get you back to full strength in no time."

"I can take us there now," Adam offered, unfolding from the meditative position he'd adopted during Saylee and Blue's talk. "If you are agreeable?"

"If you'll let me do the talking to Erika when we get there," Saylee insisted. "She's not a fan of guys."

"I think I'll just sleep out here," Blue said, lying back and crossing his arms over his face. Sam looked from her trainer to Saylee, smirking and waggling her large white ears. Daisy and Adam also exchanged smirks.

"We'd better move closer, Saylee," Daisy said, "so that Adam can teleport us to."

"Are you okay, Carrie?" Saylee asked. The little ground-type cuddled in her arms was hugging her bone and hiding her face under Saylee's arm. "What's wrong?"

"The ghosts teleported people away before," she muttered. "There were women living in the town, looking after graves, praying over bones. The ghosts took them up to the Tower, and then they acted strange. I don't want to teleport." She looked up pleadingly at Saylee, who ran her hand soothingly over Carrie's skull.

"Adam's not a ghost," she explained. "He's psychic, like Daisy. I teleported with my Kadabra, Alan, before, and I'm just fine, aren't I?" she smiled broadly, ignoring the automatic pang at the mention of Alan's name. After a moment, Carrie cooed and waved her bone happily.

"You're great!" she giggled. "Okay, but will you hold on to make _sure_ I'm okay? Please?"

"Of course, sweetie," Saylee promised, shifting Carrie in her arms so that she could stand up and move closer to Blue, Sam, Adam and Daisy.

{}

"I never really thought about it, but you can't teleport, can you, Daisy?" Saylee asked, rolling over to look at her daydreaming psychic. Blue had been settled in Mrs Tamamushi's apartment to sleep until the mental fatigue wore off, but Saylee had declined a bed, not wanting to take up more space than was strictly necessary. She and her Pokémon were sitting in the grass by the fountain: Miranda was basking in the clean, running water and was already asleep, judging by the rumbling snores; Pedro had his head tucked under his wing, blissfully unaware of Vick having rolled over in his sleep to the point where he was leaning against Pedro's side; Carrie was sleeping a little fitfully in Saylee's arms, Saylee herself curled against Chaz's warm flank, and Daisy was floating nearby, savouring a faint pink smoke floating from an Oddish snoozing nearby. Chaz cracked an eye open at Saylee's movement, before drifting closed again.

"It's not a power that my kind can normally use, no," Daisy admitted. "We don't really have... kinetic powers. I... can do a little, though. Alan taught me how."

"He taught you an awful lot in such a short time," Saylee said with a little smile.

"He was a great teacher," Daisy responded. "Adam's a lot like him, despite the way he acts. It would be nice, you know, if Blue does want to come with us," she added, apropos of nothing.

"So you can spend more time with Adam?" Saylee teased.

"So you can spend more time with Blue?" Daisy shot back. Saylee gaped. "I know you'd like to be friends with him again. You've dreamed of your childhood before. I didn't mean to hear," she added guiltily, "it was just… a very strong memory…"

"Yeah... yeah, it'd be nice to be friends with Blue again," Saylee recovered. "Like he used to be. Not... _pissed off_ at me all the time." She shrugged, curling up a little more and closing her eyes. "He's going to need to rest for a while longer, though. He's a bit malnourished. He can rest up here while we hit Fuchsia. I wish I could hang around and make sure he's alright, but every day now feels like another day that Team Rocket have been free for too long... we can't afford to waste a day."

"Don't worry about it, Saylee," Chaz said, nudging her gently. "That jerk's tough. He'd have to, to put up with Sam. Trust me, that girl was a real toerag when she was a squirt, and I really doubt she's grown up much."

Saylee couldn't help laughing. "Neither's Blue, really," she murmured, finally drifting off.

{}

"Are you sure _music_'s going to shift this thing?" Chaz said dubiously. They were standing in front of the wall of blubber that was the Snorlax blocking the way to Fuchsia from Celadon. Daisy was trying to read its dreams, but it wasn't really dreaming about anything. It was just sleeping.

"It seems to work," Saylee said, a little embarrassed, as the past couple of nights she had occasionally sat up practicing playing the flute and had inadvertently woken up her Pokémon. "Well, I guess this is the big test." She put the flute to her lips and began to play.

It was a simple little tune only a few bars long, which she repeated over and over until the Snorlax slowly began to stir. He lumbered to his feet, glaring down at Saylee. With swung a huge arm with shocking speed to knock her aside.

"Look out!" Chaz called, hauling Saylee sharply out of the way by the arm. Saylee winced as she felt her arm jerk in its socket, but it was preferable to getting snapped in half like the tree she'd been standing in front of. Daisy had dodged in the opposite direction, leaving herself standing between the Snorlax and the cliff wall. She swung her pendulum rapidly, trying to hypnotize the beast. It roared angrily, tottering around in confusion, swinging wildly, before just picking a direction at random and charging. It missed Daisy by a mile, but slammed into the cliff hard. It bounced off, spun around wildly, and then charged again. It got nearer to Daisy this time, but she was still far faster than any Snorlax and dodged easily. It hit the cliff wall again, causing a _rumble._

"What the hell was that?" Saylee wondered, looking around as Snorlax shook it head frantically. Chaz gripped her tighter, suddenly tensing.

"I know that sound," he growled. "Haven't heard it since I was a hatchling, but I never forgot it. It's a landslide!"

"What?" Saylee gasped, craning around to look up, feeling her heart stop as she saw the cliff wall seem to rear up and _charge_ them, loose rocks and scree thundering downwards. She scrabbled to reach her pokéballs, but she couldn't with her arm clutched between Chaz's claws.

"Chaz, get Daisy!" she screamed. Chaz instantly went into a nosedive, towards the psychic who was desperately evading Snorlax's angry strikes, unable to dodge away from the cliff wall. She looked up at them as the front wave of dust and pebbles began to clatter down on them, one hitting a delicate joint in Chaz's wing. He reared back momentarily, roaring in pain.

"GET AWAY!" Daisy screamed, flinging her pendulum. It seemed to home in on Saylee, wrapping around her arm and smacking into a pocket on her bag. It began to glow pink— or rather, something thin and twisted inside of it began to glow pink.

Saylee was blinded by white light.

"DAISY!" She screamed into the light.

..._Forgive me, Saylee..._

Saylee wasn't sure if it was one voice whispering or two, but suddenly the rumbling of the landslide was further away and she and Chaz were hitting a soft patch of grass. Saylee reached out to Chaz, watching him wince and try to haul himself upright again. He finally rolled over, grinning proudly.

"Daisy, I thought you said you couldn't... teleport...?" he said, trailing off as he failed to catch sight of the yellow psychic. Saylee looked around, standing up for a better view, spinning wildly as she searched for a hint of yellow among all of the brown and green.

"Daisy?!" she called desperately. "DAISY!"

The pendulum dangled limply from her arm, slipping over her hand and into the grass.

{}

{}

_I really wanted a Snorlax because I'd had one in a previous game that was a tough bastard. So I took too many risks trying to catch the one west of Celadon, and Daisy died. I did catch him, but the useless bastard died a short while later after getting crit-hit by a _Grimer_, of all things. So he doesn't really get to be in the fic._

_EDIT: Upon Thinking Too Much commencing, I realized that weekdays on Pokearth wouldn't be the same as ours, given how four of our workdays are named after Norse gods and one after a Roman god. So instead I made up a new list of days because my brain wouldn't leave me alone otherwise XP_

_Monday (Moon's day)= Cresselday (Cresselia's day)_

_Tuesday (Tyr's day)= Meusday (Mew's day)_

_Wednesday (Woden/Odin's day)= Lugisday (Lugia's day)_

_Thursday (Thor's day)= Hosday (Ho-oh's day)_

_Friday (Frigga's day)= Rakesday (Rayquaza's day)_

_Saturday (Saturn's day)= Arsday (Arceus' day)_

_Sunday (Sun's day)= unchanged. Because they still have a sun XP_

_More importantly, Key-chan, who is awesome and cookietastic and so wonderful that she must be made of rainbows and puppies, drew me fanart again :D It's Saylee and Chaz again, only now Chaz is all grown up and both of them are PISSED OFF. This is probably how they're gonna look next time they see Giovanni. And it is AWESOME. (I did this chapter quickly just so I could put it up with a link :D Gonna stay up late now to do my Hamlet homework so the lecturer doesn't rip out my guts and use them for props.)_

_ pfkeychan . deviantart # / d4ptnb1_

_Name: Sloth. Species: Snorlax. Nature: Quirky. Ability: Thick Fat._

_RIP Daisy, level 11-31._

_RIP Sloth, level 30._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	25. Chapter 25

_Pokémon: 9 Deaths: 12_

"There we go," said the woman as she tied off the wrap around Chaz's injured wing. "It's not bad, he just jolted it a bit."

"Thank you," Saylee said gratefully. "Are you a medic or something?"

"No, I just know a lot about flying-types," the woman laughed, stroking the beak of a large Fearow as she passed him. "Fred here and I have been friends since I was a little girl. I'm Mina, by the way."

"How'd you wake up that damn Snorlax, anyway?" Fred asked, swinging his long beak around to peer at Saylee and Chaz. Saylee stepped back a little. "Nothing we did could get it to shift."

"This flute woke it up," Saylee said, raising the Poke Flute, wincing as she realized that now both arms were damaged and sore. Mina reached out and pressed on the forming bruises on Saylee's right arm.

"Oh my, how did you get these?" she gasped. Chaz looked downcast.

"Chaz hauled me out of the way," Saylee explained. "Dangling for too long gets a bit sore."

"Don't you have a flying harness?" Mina said in surprise. Saylee shook her head, glancing at Chaz in confusion. "Well, lucky for you I have a spare!" She let go of Saylee's arm and hurried over to pull something out from under her bed, an odd tangle of straps and hooks.

"What _is_ that?" Saylee said in bemusement as Mina pressed it into her hands.

"A flying harness, duh," said Fred, rolling his eyes.

"Fred," Mina chastised him, before turning back to Saylee. "It allows you to strap yourself on to ride safely on a flier's back. I can show you how to hook it onto Chaz here. It's comfortable for him and you, it can stay on him when he goes into his pokéball, and it's quite quick to get in and out of. It's especially useful for long-distance trips, where it's too tiring to hold on for long and the wind pressure can be difficult to handle."

"Will it fit Pedro too?" Carrie piped up. Mina looked to Saylee for clarification.

"My Pidgeot," she explained, looking over the harness with renewed interest. "Can I adjust it to fit him too?"

"Sure, I'll show you how to adjust it to fit any flier!" Mina said, taking the harness back from Saylee.

"Is that alright with you, Chaz?" Saylee asked, stroking his head. He nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure, I won't have to be afraid of dropping you anymore," he said, bowing his head to allow Mina to slip the harness over it. "We could fly right down to Fuchsia, like this."

"You're trying to get to Fuchsia?" Fred snorted. "Tough luck, flying won't work. It's in the middle of some pretty dense forest. Can't see it at all from above, even when you know where the stupid place is. They're all about spying and secrecy, that lot. You have to take the path from the bottom of the hill, but it's infested with biker gangs."

"What're biker gangs?" Carrie asked, tugging on Saylee's arm. Saylee looked at Chaz and grinned.

"They're training," she said, reaching down to pull her bag back over her shoulder. She paused to unzip a side pocket that contained only a battered and bent spoon, unwrapped the coin on a string that she'd been holding wrapped around her wrist, and wrapped it around the spoon, replacing it in her bag. Did she imagine that it glowed for a second?

"Yep, that's pretty comfortable," Chaz said, stretching his wings and looking around at the harness. "My wing feels better too. Shall we?"

"Of course," Saylee said, swinging her bag onto her shoulder and letting Carrie sit on it while she clambered onto Chaz's back. "Wow, this is comfortable, isn't it? Are you alright, Chaz?"

"Fine," Chaz said, rearing up, making Saylee shriek at the sudden movement and giggle as the harness held her securely in place. "It's not like you weigh that much. You know how _little_ you look since I evolved?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm in awe, oh fast-growing giant," Saylee said, wrapping an arm around Carrie to hold her comfortably. "Thanks so much, Mina. For everything. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Clearing out that Snorlax was helpful, and if you're going to take out those biker gangs, all the better," Mina said, patting Chaz's flank. "Fred and I'll see you in the sky sometime, maybe?" She strode over to swing open the huge window built into one wall of the house, in through which Fred had flown.

"See you up there," Saylee said, ducking down as Chaz clambered through the window, before clutching on and whooping excitedly as Chaz shot up into the sky.

"Oh, wow!" Saylee laughed, watching the world spiral away below her, clutching Carrie to her with one hand and her hat to her head with the other. She'd been up in the air before, but never this high, never this securely. She could see the cycling road dropping away to the south, Celadon rising out of the hills and trees, Mina's hillside house. It felt like all of her troubles and worries were dropping away from her, making her feel lighter.

"It's so high up!" Carrie shrieked, clutching Saylee tightly. Saylee wrapped her arm around her, waving the other in the air.

"Right, let's make south!" She said, pointing down at the cycling road. It dropped away into the trees quite quickly. "Damn, it might be hard to follow from the air, she was right. A bike might be a good idea."

"There's some bikers down there," Chaz said, circling down over several beefy figures in leather who were riding rings around a Doduo. It was shrieking pitifully as they lassoed it. It was probably destined to be dinner.

Saylee eyed them up critically, and nodded. "I kinda like that blue bike," she commented nonchalantly, drawing Vick and Pedro's pokéballs as they dropped down in the bikers' midst.

{}

"Why is it always poison-types with these jackasses?" Pedro asked, flying low besides Saylee as she cruised down the hill on the stolen blue motorcycle. Chaz was flying low on the other side, Carrie enjoying the ride strapped into the harness, and Vick was freerolling right behind them. "Daisy would've taken them out in a heartbeat—" he cut off sharply. Saylee reached out a hand to stroke his beak.

"I know," she said, before reaching back to grab onto the cruising bike's handlebars to steady it. "I hope Mom can fix up Diana. Those bastards nearly broke one of her necks! I just hope she feels better soon..."

"The head that was awake looked so sad," Carrie said, hugging Saylee's arm. "Do you think she's lonely? Your Pokédex said that it's like twins being in one body, right?"

"I'm sure she'll be less lonely when her... uh... sister wakes up," Saylee promised. Privately, Saylee thought that Doduo were rather lucky; they were never apart from their siblings, never alone. She felt Chaz's wingtip brush across her back and looked up, pushing her glasses up her nose and grinning reassuringly at him. He must've noticed her downcast expression, maybe even figured out what she was thinking.

"Doll, watch out!" Pedro shrieked, suddenly dropping behind Saylee and gripping the back wheel of the bike with his talons. Saylee screamed and grabbed Carrie, Chaz's claws grabbing her to secure her as she jerked forwards. "Sorry, Doll. Didn't want you to hit _them_."

"Vick!" Saylee yelled as, unable to stop his momentum, the volatile electric shot past them and, curving to try to get back uphill, bowled across the front wheels of several bikers heading up towards them. They skidded to a halt, not wide enough to block off the whole hill but, unfortunately, wide enough to block off access to the only distinct path through the thickening forest. One of them spat at Vick as he rolled up behind Saylee, leaning against her bike. He sparked back at the man.

"Wot you doin' down here, darlin'?" One of them leered. Saylee tried very hard not to roll her eyes.

"Nice bike, babe," another hooted. "Care to ride with us?"

"I've got better places to be, thanks," Saylee said, looking behind them at the path pointedly. She wondered if they'd actually noticed the three large and increasingly belligerent-looking Pokémon that she was cruising with. "If you'll excuse me."

"Don't think we want to, do we, boys?" the one in the middle said. Probably the leader; rank seemed to be indicated by who had the most bits of metal on his face. "Think we want you to hang with us for a bit. Don't we?" he then released a Primeape and a Machoke.

Okay, maybe he had noticed the Pokémon. Might have a whole three brain cells.

His friends let out a bunch of Koffing, Weezing and Muk. Saylee glanced over Chaz, Pedro and Vick, and then was surprised by a little tug on her arm.

"I've got an idea, Saylee," Carrie whispered. "I wanna try it on those Koffing and Weezing. Can I?"

"Sure," Saylee said, looking at Chaz and Pedro. "Can I count on you boys to deal with Primeape and Machoke?"

"Sure thing, doll," Pedro promised. "Knock 'em dead, Carrie."

"That's the plan!" she said brightly, hopping forward to stand in front of the bike, raising her bone. The bikers took one look at her and burst into wild, uncontrollable laughter.

On its way around, the bone managed to knock a few of their heads as well as knocking every Koffing and Weezing out of the air. Pedro and Chaz charged forwards, smacking their broad wings into the two fighting-types as they raised their arms to protect themselves. The bone returned to Carrie's hand as she stood tall, twirling it proudly.

"Oh my goodness, was that a... a _bone_merang?" Saylee squealed, clapping her hands. Carrie nodded.

"It's easy!" she said brightly. "The bone always comes back to me, see." A Muk lunged forwards, urged by his trainer to "smack that bitch."

"Oh, that's _rude_," Carrie complained, giving the bone another twirl and flinging it. It slammed into Muk's face, and then beaned it on the back of the head on its way back to Carrie's paw. It moaned and collapsed, and Carrie stood even taller over it.

"Easy-peasy," she proclaimed proudly, but her voice no longer echoed, and it was deeper, calmer. She turned to nod at Saylee, slinging the bone over her shoulder as Chaz and Pedro dropped their victims on top of the yelling bikers.

Saylee smiled and knelt down to embrace her proud Marowak. "You look beautiful," she said. "Just like your mother."

{}

"Ooooh, aren't you _pretty_!" Miranda cooed, leaning down to rub her head against Carrie's. Carrie's skull helmet seemed to have fused with her head; her head was smooth, grey and solid, and even her bone club seemed to have grown in length and thickness. Before, she had clutched it like a toy or comfort blanket; now she really held it like a weapon. Saylee's Pokédex told her that while Cubone were very childish, very dependent on the community of their mother and siblings, the mother Marowak were expert warriors, vicious fighters when defending their young and the graves of the dead.

"So she's a born-and-bred warrior, then?" Vick said, nudging the Pokédex and letting data zap from the machine to his brain. "Pretty badass."

"Here I thought she was just a little baby clingin' to you like a blanket, doll," Pedro chuckled, watching Carrie playing with Miranda. "And she turns out to be a real fighter!"

"Well, Marowak have always been guardians," Chaz said. "They're a very old race, one of the oldest races of Pokémon. An old legend says that someone made a doll of grave soil and put a skull on it, and enchanted it to guard a graveyard, and that's where they come from."

"Really?" Saylee said with interested, flipping a few digital pages in the Pokédex. "The Pokédex doesn't know about it. I've never heard it before."

"It doesn't?" Chaz said, looking up at her. "I thought it would've, since the Professor programmed it. He told us all of these old stories, Ben and Sam and I..."

"Huh..." Saylee tapped a short message to the Professor into the Pokédex. "I'm surprised that she evolved so soon after we met her. It says that they normally undergo decades of training, and I thought she was quite young when we found her..."

"I am young for a guardian," Carrie said, kneeling down next to Saylee and setting her bone on the ground in front of her, "but my instincts were accelerated, and I've been growing since my mother died. That alone sharpened my instincts, to fight and protect; mother is dead and the graves must be guarded. The fighting that I've witnessed travelling with you, and the hunt for Team Rocket, just helped me grow and refine my instincts ever faster. I needed to be ready, to be a guardian, before we face Team Rocket. I have to defeat them to avenge my mother, to protect my siblings, and most importantly, because _they violated the graves._"

"That's most important?" Miranda said, confused. "I thought, y'know... protecting your family would be most important."

Carrie gave her a wry little smile. "We don't think like that. I don't know if Chaz's story is true or not, but it is true that the most important thing, the one thing that I've known since the moment I was born, is that the graves _must be protected_. Protection is hardwired into my genes. I will defend Saylee, and all of you, because I want to. I love you all. But the prime drive, the thing that nags at me night and day, is that they defiled the graves and _must_ be punished."

"I understand, Carrie," Saylee said, wrapping an arm around her and grinning. "Listen to you, suddenly so grown-up! I just know that you're a fantastic warrior. It's what you _are._" She looked around her Pokémon with a smile. "Like Chaz protects me. Your siblings feel the same, I'm sure. When we're done with Team Rocket, we'll go back there, and you can see how strong they are and show how strong _you_ are."

"I like the sound of that!" Carrie said, saluting with her bone. "I'm sure they'll protect the graves well. And..." she hugged Saylee's arm. "Olivia's spirit will guard _them_, I'm sure. The spirits never leave us. We guard the graves so that in turn they will guard this world, always."

"...well, listen to you," Vick said admiringly. "Almost makes me feel bad for Team Rocket. _Almost_, mind you."

"Nah, I've no pity to spare for scum like them," Pedro said, rolling his neck and tucking his head under his wing.

"You don't really _do_ pity, Pedro," Chaz pointed out. The giant bird lifting his wing enough to show the glint of a smirk in his eye, before tucking his head under again.

"Pedro's got the right idea, I think," Miranda said, curling up to rest her head on her back. "About Team Rocket _and_ sleep. G'night, all!"

"Goodnight!" Vick said, rolling over against a tree and closing his eyes. Carrie snuggled against Saylee's side and Saylee leaned back against Chaz. Before sleeping, she reached into her bag and pulled out a coin on a string wrapped around a bent spoon, hanging it by the string from a branch above her, like a guarding talisman.

She slept soundly that night, without nightmares about her brother or her lost friends. She hadn't had any of those nightmares since meeting Daisy, and somehow, now, her dreams remained protected.

Something in the shadows watched her dream with glowing red eyes.

{}

_Sorry about the long absences from this... Uni's starting to actually feel like work, and I've been ill a couple of times. I've also been a bit distracted by another Pokémon-related project that I'm doing with a friend, but that's a story for another day, literally ;) Decided that I really needed to get something up and bashed this out, wherein Carrie evolves and I discover what true and utter badasses Marowak are. When I was playing, she faced a Weezing using Explosion and came out of it with 2HP. Phew! Later, when she was at only a little over half health, a Koffing exploded on her. She still survived. Carrie, you are as badass as it gets._

_This time last year I was settling into Sangchen Dorjee Gompa... wow. Time flies._

_Name: Diana. Species: Doduo. Nature: Lonely. Ability: Run Away._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	26. Chapter 26

_Pokémon: 12 Deaths: 12_

"It's this way," Valerie said, holding herself as tall and regal as a metre-tall insect could, eyes shining off the thick trees as she led them through. "I would recommend that you put your warriors back in their pokéballs, miss Saylee. They can _smell_ fighting intent in here, and they don't take risks."

Saylee looked from Carrie to Chaz. Neither were, by their nature, particularly benevolent-looking, and Miranda and Pedro were no better. "I'll bring Vick in then, at least," she said, releasing the explosive electric. "I don't want to ruffle any feathers, not if I'm hoping to enlist their help in taking Saffron."

"Be careful, alright, Vick?" Chaz said, nudging him and then looking up at Saylee. "You too."

"Call on us if you need us," Carrie said, shouldering her bone as Saylee returned the pair of them.

"Excuse _me_," Valerie said haughtily. "_I_ am still here."

"Yeah... who are you?" Vick asked, nonplussed. Saylee patted Valerie on the head, careful to avoid her sensitive antennae.

"This is Valerie," she explained. "She's a Venonat, a psychic insect. Valerie, this is Vick. He's an Electrode."

"Nice to meetcha, I guess," Vick said, arching an eyebrow.

"Charmed," Valerie said stiffly. "May we press on, then?"

"Valerie offered to help us find our way to Fuchsia," Saylee explained. "Pedro caught her. Sorry about that," she added apologetically to Valerie.

"Birds will be birds," Valerie sniffed. "Now, we are nearly there. Come along."

"Snooty little bug, ain't she," Vick muttered. Saylee suppressed a giggle, giving Vick a very gentle little kick instead.

"HALT! Who goes there?"

Saylee held up her hands as something dropped out of a tree in front of her. It was a girl, dressed in dark green, nearly indiscernible from the thick forest around her until she took off her hood and her purple hair stood out. She looked over Saylee, Valerie and Vick piercingly. She had the hard expression of a fighter, but Saylee noted in surprise that the girl was younger than her.

"My name's Saylee," she explained. "It was suggested that I come here by Lady Erika of Celadon. I seek assistance in finally eliminating Team Rocket, whom I drove out of Celadon and the Lavender graveyard. May I pass?"

"You fought for the Lavender graveyard?" the girl said suspiciously. "Prove it."

Saylee picked up Carrie's pokéball. "A grave guardian is an ally of mine now," she explained, releasing Carrie. "This is Carrie. Carrie, this is... umm, sorry, what's your name?"

"Janine." The girl crouched in front of Carrie. "Tell me why you are here, guardian."

"I'm here with Saylee," Carrie said placidly. "We need to finish off Team Rocket, but we can't get into Saffron. We heard that the warriors here are particularly skilled at espionage."

"Damn, still can't get used to you talking like a grownup," Vick quipped. Carrie grinned at him, and then turned to bow politely to Janine.

"Far be it from me to question the word of an honourable grave guardian." Janine stood up, nodding to Saylee. "I see you have Lady Erika's emblem, as well as those of Lt Surge and Misty. Good. Come with me."

Janine led them on through the dark forest along an indiscernible path that seemed to cut quite smoothly between the twisted old trees and root-broken ground. Saylee eventually took pity on Vick and returned him, feeling secure with Carrie walking at her side and Valerie hopping along ahead of them.

"Here we are," Janine said, dropping to her knees and crawling under a thick bush. Saylee followed suit and found that a large, comfortable tunnel was well hidden in the bush. She could see light at the end of it, too.

"Oh... _wow_," Saylee breathed as they came out of the tunnel. The trees here were not as thick as in the rest of the forest, but they were larger and clearly older. Houses were built around the bases of them, and in some cases _inside_ of them. And despite the foliage above being so thick that it blocked out all sunlight (Saylee could see why flying in was largely impossible), the entire area was lit by a faint purple glow.

"Good evening, everyone!" Valerie chirruped. There was a flurry of reply as the glow shifted.

"Venonat and Venomoth, all of them," Janine said, not a little smugly. "They _adore_ dimly-lit environments like these. Some of them are active at all hours of day and night."

"It's not evening," Carrie pointed out. "More like noon. Is time sense bad here?"

"No, Father's Hypno keeps a perfect clock," Janine said flippantly. "Good evening is just a standard greeting for their species."

"We simply prefer the evening," Valerie said, buzzing at her species flitting around above.

"This way," Janine said, leading Saylee over to one of the largest trees, one with a trunk that looked like it was wider than the whole of the Pallet settlement. They hadn't even bothered to build a house around it; there was simply a doorway cut into the trunk and windows that showed light within.

"Oh my goodness," Saylee gasped as they entered the cavernous space. There was still a thick trunk in the middle, the tree above further supported by the solid surrounding walls, and the rest of the space was filled with training pairs, human and Pokémon alike. It was a kind of training dojo, some people meditating with Drowzee and Hypno, others fighting, human vs. human, Pokémon vs. Pokémon, human vs. Pokémon. Everyone involved was clearly a skilled warrior. The room was softly lit by covered lamps. "Why are they covered like that? Wouldn't you get more light with them uncovered?"

"The northern part of the forest has swamps in it that give off a variety of gases," Janine said. "They drift in this direction a lot. They've dispersed enough to no longer be toxic by the time they get here, but they're still kinda flammable. Open flames are not a good idea, we've found." Saylee nervously tapped Chaz's pokéball. "Hey, you!" she demanded of the nearest man, who was mixing up some dust that was falling from his Venomoth's wings. "Where is my father?"

"He went up to the northern forest," the man said. "Old Man Slowpoke left his teeth behind when he was up there gathering plants and went back in for them..."

"But the herds are moving at the moment!" Janine said in exasperation, throwing up her hands. "What was that old idiot _thinking_?!"

"He was thinking that nobody could understand a bloody word he said!" a girl laughed.

"Well, how long has he been _gone_?" Janine complained.

"A few hours," someone else said. "I'd worry if it wasn't, you know... your father."

"Well, I'm going to go find him," Janine said, frustrated, spinning on her heel to leave.

"You can't, both of you can't go into the forest at once, you _know_ the rules!" A woman with a whip said pointedly.

"Why can't you go into the forest at the same time as your dad?" Saylee asked. Janine scowled.

"The northern forest isn't exactly... safe," Janine said reluctantly. "It's a fairly old rule that the village leader and their heir may not both go into the forest at the same time. Well, _someone's_ got to go in after them..." Everyone looked away, clearly not wanting to be volunteered.

"I'll go," Saylee offered. "I need to find your father. If he's in charge here, I have to speak with him." She touched Carrie's head. "I'm sure I'll be fine, so long as I'm with my Pokémon. Do you have a map of the forest?"

{}

"Okay, it says that this leads to area four," Saylee said, examining the map closely by the light that Vick was emanating. "I think I need to make camp soon. Can't tell what time it is, but we've been searching for _hours_."

"Hold up," Vick said, looking around. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what...?" Saylee feel silent, listening hard. Rather than the faint rustlings of Pokémon moving around, ever-present in this part of the forest, she could hear a human voice calling for help.

"Hello?" she called, running towards the sound of the voice. "Hello, sir? WHERE ARE YOU?" Desperate to find and help the source of the terrified voice, Saylee didn't watch where she was putting her feet, and suddenly sank ankle-deep into a patch of swamp. "No!" One leg sinking, one leg flung out wildly, she managed to find solid ground with her free leg and began trying to tug herself out. The mire sucked at her leg, however, and whenever she stopped pulling for the barest moment, it sucked her in deeper.

"You're gonna have to get Carrie or someone to pull you out," Vick said, rolling in nervous circles. "Sorry, got no... arms..." he trailed off for a second, and then yelled, "NOW! You have to get out NOW!" Saylee looked up to see why his voice was so panicked, and immediately began trying to pull herself out more feverently. She waved her arms wildly in a desperate attempt not to imbalance and collapse entirely into the muck, where she would surely be crushed under the feet of the oncoming herd of Rhyhorn.

A skinny old man who was surprisingly fast for his age was managing to keep ahead of them, but the Rhyhorn were gaining speed. They always started slow, but by the time they had reached Saylee and Vick, they would have built up enough speed to be unstoppable. Saylee reached for her other pokéballs, but the attempt to lean over nearly unbalanced her enough to send her face-down into the mire. Seeing Saylee's rising panic, Vick suddenly began sparking and rolling forwards.

"Get down!" He yelled. "I'm gonna take 'em all out!"

"Vick! What are you doing?" Saylee called desperately, watching Vick roll past the old man and begin to glow white. "No, Vick! That's too much! NO! VICK!"

"Boom, suckers!" Vick yelled, and exploded.

The shockwave knocked Saylee flat on her back, yanking her foot out of the mire in the process. There was a ringing in her ears, and her glasses had disappeared, making her vision blurred and blotchy. She couldn't seem to move. She vaguely heard voices speaking and felt someone shaking her. She couldn't move at all and didn't entirely want to.

"Vick," she gasped, before her vision blacked out entirely and she passed out.

{}

"...all fleeing the northernmost part of the forest. I got caught up in an altercation with some of the thieves over a collective of Chansey. I thought that you might have been captured by them, too..."

"Naw, just lost my teeth. Took me ages to find 'em. Who's the gel?"

"No idea..."

Saylee rubbed her hand across her eyes and blinked awake. The fuzzy world didn't come into focus. She raised her hand to her face again, remembered that she wasn't wearing her glasses, and tried to feel for them. Someone grabbed her wrist gently.

"Take it easy, miss," a deep voice said. "Your glasses were cracked, but I'm sure they can be repaired. Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Saylee looked up and got a vague impression of a tall figure in black. She squinted, trying to focus on the small patch of white higher up, probably his face. "My name's Saylee," she mumbled. "I... met Janine... and then... I had to talk to Koga... I came looking for him... what happened?" She had a cracking headache and her ears were ringing.

"You got caught in an explosion yesterday evening. It knocked out an entire herd of Rhyhorn..."

"_I'm gonna take 'em all out!_"

"Vick," Saylee gasped, simultaneous urges to puke and sob rising. She screwed her eyes closed until stars danced behind them, doubling up as the loss hit her like a fist to the gut. She let the tears flow until her blurred vision distorted out of all use. After a few minutes she uncurled, wiping her eyes and cheeks. The man in black hadn't moved. Two shorter figures, one in grey and one in a kind of darkish green, were standing next to him.

"Ye alright now, gel?" came the old man's voice, the figure in grey moving slightly. "Thank ye for saving me. I am so sorry fer yer loss."

"It was a warrior's death," the man in black said. "You train fine Pokémon."

_No_, Saylee thought, _it was a needless death because I was too stupid to look where I was going._ She felt for the five pokéballs remaining on her belt. "Where am I?" she asked. "Who are you? I'm afraid I can't really see."

"Here," the man in black said, handing her glasses to her. She could see white on his hands, meaning that he wasn't wearing black gloves. She relaxed a little. An all-black costume had been panicking her slightly, but her grief over Vick had pushed it aside. A Team Rocket grunt probably wouldn't have bothered to save her, anyway, nor respected Vick's sacrifice. She tried putting her glasses on, but one lens was completely smashed and the other had a crack running just off-centre. It distorted her vision too painfully for her to keep them on. She took her glasses off again and put them in her bag.

"I'll find a way to fix them later," she muttered. "Thanks, anyway. Are you Old Man Slowpoke?"

"Oi! What kinda name is that?!" The old man bellowed.

"The name that everyone calls you by," the man in black said dryly. "I am Koga, leader of Fuchsia. This is Old Man Slowpoke, yes, and the gentleman here is Hermit. He lives out here. Goodness knows why, but he seems to get along alright. Why were you looking for me?"

"My name is Saylee," Saylee said, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed to stand up, not wanting to be in a vulnerable position. If she wanted Koga's help, she'd also need his respect, and she wasn't going to get that by lying around crying. Vick's sacrifice would be wasted if she didn't get moving. She also made a concentrated effort not to squint, as it didn't help anyway. "I need to infiltrate Saffron City and destroy Team Rocket, but I can't get inside. I have heard that the people of Fuchsia are highly proficient in espionage. I came to request your assistance."

"I must test you in battle to see if you are worthy of fighting with us," Koga said sternly. "I will escort you and the elder back to the village at daybreak. There are many dangerous nocturnal Pokémon here, so we ought to wait out the night with Hermit. The day after tomorrow, at dusk, we will do battle and I shall evaluate if you are a worthy ally to us. Is this agreeable?"

"Sure," Saylee said, a touch uneasy. She trusted her Pokémon implicitly and knew that they could handle themselves, but she was nervous of sending them into a battle that she would not be able to see clearly. She clenched her hands around her bag strap.

They needed to move against Team Rocket as soon as possible, but she couldn't help being grateful for the extra day. It would allow her to train with her Pokémon for her to fight blind.

{}

_Saylee, being the player character, is an author avatar by default, so like me her eyesight is -7.5. Any readers with myopia of their own might have some inkling of what that number means, but to put it in perspective; without glasses or contacts, I can see clearly for approximately ten centimetres in front of my face. After that, items quickly become less defined blurs until an object about two metres away is a vaguely shaped blob of whatever that item's dominant colour is. When I look at my bookcase without sight aids, individual books are so small that I can't even pick out their colours and all I can really make out is the glare off of certain books with reflective spines. My eyesight is kind of a big deal to me, so I've often worried about what would happen if, in the rough-and-tumble world of Pokémon, my glasses got broken XD This is me playing with that, and maaaaaaybe setting up a mechanic for later... ;)_

_Name: Edward. Species: Exeggcute. Nature: Naive. Ability: Chlorophyll._

_Name: Valerie. Species: Venonat. Nature: Timid. Ability: Compoundeyes._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	27. Chapter 27

_Pokémon: 12 Deaths: 13_

"You'd better be right about this, doll," Pedro grumbled, dropping a bundle of warm fur into Saylee's arms. "Flyin' to Pallet an' back for this whinger is not my idea of a good time. He coulda got in his damn pokéball, but nooo…"

"I was perfectly comfortable in Pallet," Elric said primly. "So for once, I agree with the bird. Do tell me this is good."

Saylee cracked her eyes opened. The world was mostly a large smudge of green, but Chaz's orange hide clashed distinctly enough that she could pick out his large shape, more or less where she'd guessed he'd be based on his body heat. Miranda's giant blue form was also visible enough. Valerie was smaller and used to blending in with the forest, but when Saylee closed her eyes she could almost feel where Valerie was. Maybe she gave off some kind of psychic signature. Carrie's brown body would also be indistinct from the forest if she was not determinedly sitting by Saylee's side.

She held up Elric so that she could get a clear look at him. Then she set him down again, feeling for his ears and scratching behind him. She could feel him relax in her arms.

"I have a proposition for you, Elric," she said. "Have you ever wanted to evolve?"

"Yeah," Elric said, a little distantly as he enjoyed the ear-rub. "Something powerful would be nice. I admit that I am not enamoured of the idea of turning into a Vaporeon. My mother was a Vaporeon, I think, so they have always seemed so... _girly._"

"What about a Jolteon?" Saylee suggested. "I need a new electric-type on my team, Elric. I want it to be you, if you're up for it."

His ears perked up sharply. "A Jolteon?" He mused. "Yes... I think I could quite enjoy being a Jolteon."

"Then I have good news for you," Saylee said, setting him down and digging into her bag. She rummaged through it until she felt the cold, smooth surface of the Thunderstone, tingling with static. She held it out to Elric. "How about it? Are you up for it?"

She felt his nose touch her finger as he sniffed at the stone, and then he leaned forward and grabbed it in his mouth, removing it from her hand.

The reaction was instantaneous. He glowed brightly, the glow growing and shifting as the Thunderstone reacted with his unstable genetic code. Saylee reached up to flatten down her hair, feeling it rise as the static in the air built up.

"I don't like this," she heard Miranda mutter. There was a loud rumbling noise as she shifted farther away from the evolving electric. There was a rush of air as Pedro also flapped farther away. Carrie leant forwards, watching the evolution curiously.

The static died down a little as the glow subsided. There was now a larger yellow Pokémon standing in front of Saylee. She reached out for him again and he nuzzled his head under her hand. His soft fur had been replaced with coarser, spinier hair. She scratched his back, feeling his larger form, and then jumped back with a yelp as a spark cracked off at her.

"I am sorry," Elric said, sounding shamefaced. "All this new _power_... I do not quite yet have control of it..."

"Then you and Carrie need to train together," Saylee said. "She can resist your electricity easily. You need to learn to control and direct that electricity, you understand? Carrie, you might want to set up some kind of target range. That way, you can also practice your bone strikes. Sound good?"

"Very," Carrie agreed. "Come along, Elric. We had better move away from Pedro and Miranda before we start." Carrie quickly faded out of Saylee's vision. Elric's bright yellow body blurred away a moment later. Saylee looked up at Miranda.

"You and Pedro had best train in the opposite direction from them," she said. "Koga uses poison Pokémon. You might want to get some tips or sparring practice from some of the Venonat and Venomoth in the forest. See if you can come up with any tactics for avoiding or dealing with poisonous attacks, okay?"

"You got it," Pedro called, and there was a rush of wind again as she flew off. Miranda slithered after him. Normally she didn't enjoy being out on land much, but she seemed to be enjoying the Fuchsia forest, less swampy than the northern part but still comfortably damp enough for her. Saylee felt Valerie and Chaz drawing closer to her.

"Let's see if we can't get you evolved, Valerie," Saylee said. "And I'll need to practice directing a fight blind."

"Koga will be able to fight in lower visibility as well," Valerie said. "His clan's fighting style has often depended on the strength of their senses and ability fight in the dark. If you can fight blind, it may well level the playing field, so to speak."

"Well, the fight's tomorrow," Chaz said. "So there's no time to waste. Alright, Valerie, what kind of fighting are you best at?"

{}

Saylee couldn't see Koga anywhere in the clearing, though given what Janine had told her about their clan she probably wouldn't be able to see him if she had her glasses. She closed her eyes again, trying to filter out the rustling of Venonat and Venomoth in the leaves above her to discern any sound of movement on the ground. She ran her fingers over her six pokéballs, reciting in her head who was in each.

"Are you prepared for our battle?" Koga called out. It sounded like he was standing directly across the clearing from her.

"I am," Saylee responded. "Ready when you are."

"Then we shall begin!" Saylee heard the static sound of matter materialization, and a second later a disgusting stench reached her. She recoiled, placing one hand over her nose and reaching for Valerie's pokéball with the other. She recognized that reek. It could only be a Koffing.

She released Valerie silently, feeling the air clear as she flapped her broad wings. "Psychic," she ordered quietly. "Can you see the target?"

"I can," Valerie said, and the air shimmered as psychic power built. There was a _zap_, and a _thud_ as something hit the ground. Koffing sounded heavier than they looked.

"Again!" Koga called, and there were two static bursts, dematerialization and a new materialization. The stench in the air redoubled.

"Another Koffing," Valerie reported. "I can barely see it."

"Hit it while you can see it, then!" Saylee muttered, clamping her hand over her mouth as soon as she was done talking. From the smell of it, Koga was building up a huge smokescreen of poison, which would cause problems even for Valerie's psychic abilities; how do you identify a single patch of poisonous matter in the middle of a cloud of poison?

There was another of those surprisingly weighty _thuds_ as the second Koffing hit the ground. It dematerialized, and then there was a lengthier static burst as Koga's next Pokémon appeared. It was bigger, whatever it was.

"I can't see it in the cloud," Valerie muttered. "I can't sense it ei-UGH!"

"Valerie!" Saylee called. Something hit the ground at her feet and she gagged at the stench and feel of something sludgy splattering against her shins. She opened her eyes and could make out a feebly stirring lump of purple at her feet. Kneeling next to her, Saylee could just make out Valerie covered in thick purple sludge.

"Return," she said quietly. "You've done well." She closed her eyes again, running her fingers over the other five pokéballs and listening carefully. Something made a noise like _plorp_ in the mist.

"Carrie," she said, releasing the warrior at her side. "I know where the enemy is."

"Good," Carrie said, reaching out and holding onto Saylee's wrist with one hand. "Point me at him."

Saylee waited until she could hear something shifting in the mist again and pointed directly at him. The air whistled as Carrie flung her bone forcefully at her opponent hard enough that Saylee heard its body lose contact with the ground and _splash_ somewhere further off. After a few moments, she heard it begin to slither heavily across the ground. She felt Carrie clench her wrist again and both of them jumped aside as something smashed into where they'd been standing.

"Carrie," Saylee muttered, "this isn't gonna work..." she leaned down and whispered her plan into Carrie's skull. Carrie nodded and vanished.

{}

Koga's keen ears picked up the sound of a Pokémon materializing across the gas cloud. It sounded large. No matter. A larger Pokémon meant more body heat, and Gethin would close in on that easily. His Muk's senses were as keen as Koga's own, aside from the creature's complete lack of a sense of smell.

In fact, Koga could feel the new arrival's body heat himself. Either it was truly huge, or—

He realized what would happen a second before the volatile Koffing gas ignited, trapping Gethin in the centre of a raging fireball. Koga leapt backwards, arm flung over his face from the intense heat and the other hand drawing Gethin's pokéball. He needed to retrieve his comrade as soon as possible.

The inferno died down as the gas burned off and he spotted Gethin, wailing as his body burned. Saylee's Charizard was standing over him, actually flapping his wings over Gethin's body to bat out the flames.

"We're here for an honourable match, not any killing," Saylee said. "Return him."

"My gratitude," Koga said, returning Gethin and selecting his final Pokémon. "Time for the final bout."

"Then I'll let you move first," Saylee said, returning her Charizard and stepping back with her hands on her belt. She had her eyes closed. Koga had seen her talking to Janine; his daughter had likely shared some of her techniques for honing one's senses for fighting in the dark. It would take years of training for Saylee's senses to match Janine's, but nevertheless she was coping impressively. He had continued deploying smokescreens more for the sake of her Pokémon than her.

Luckily, his last Pokémon was the perfect failsafe against her Charizard. While it was true that Koffing's toxic gases were highly flammable— bottle of the stuff were being traded to Vermillion as fuel, after all— the gases of its evolution were significantly more volatile. Charizard could not take out Keir without taking itself out in the resultant explosion.

It would also pose a danger to Koga himself and Saylee, but the girl had been researching him and his battle methods. If she didn't already know how explosive a Weezing's internal gases were and elected to use Charizard, he would let her know. This was meant to be a friendly test of merit, after all, not a death match.

She didn't release her Charizard, though, nor any other Pokémon. Even after Keir's fumes had created a thick smokescreen between them and Saylee, Koga still could not hear the static buzz of matter materializing.

"I have made my selection," he called. "Will you make yours?"

"Already have," Saylee called in a muffled voice. Koga frowned, closing his eyes and tuning out the rustling of the Pokémon in the leaves above to listen for anything moving in the smoke. There was nothing. He looked around, searching with all of his senses. There was nothing around but the Pokémon in the trees above—

There was something up there that wasn't a Venonat or a Venomoth, and it leapt down on Keir from above, striking him so hard that he was actually forced underground. Koga stared down into the crater as the Marowak leapt out, standing across the crater from him with her bone raised. Keir had to be unconscious; the breeze was carrying away his fumes and they were not being replaced. Koga returned him, placing all four pokéballs in the pouch on his belt to be taken to the healer's later.

"Congratulations," he called as Saylee came into view across the field. Her Marowak ran to her side, leading her by the hand towards Koga. "We will prepare to strike in three weeks' time, on the new moon. We work best under cover of darkness. This is a large endeavour and not to be taken lightly. In the meantime, I will send Janine to locate the glassblower and he will make you a new pair of glasses. I admit he is not skilled at it, but he does know how."

"Better than this," Saylee said ruefully, squeezing her Marowak's paw. "You were brilliant, Carrie. I wish I'd seen it."

"Well, Valerie and Chaz were brilliant first," the warrior responded. "Let's go get dinner and tell the others we won."

"We'll tell everyone," Saylee said. "It's time to move out."

{}

The new fountain wasn't flowing right. It was only a week old; it couldn't be running dry already. Misty frowned at the sputtering hole in the rock and called out Sadira. The huge purple star began to glow as it summoned up psychic energy, following the flow of the water backwards to the source of the blockage. She heard Sadira hum as it located the block and began to draw it out.

Sadira told Misty to be prepared to catch. Misty positioned herself in front of the spring, expecting a rock or maybe a chunk of root to come shooting out. She did not expect a Horsea.

"Whoa!" the little blue Pokémon whooped as he slammed into Misty's embrace. "What a ride! Was that you? Thanks for the push. Underground water channels, let me tell you— brilliant for getting around when there's all this land in the way, but getting _out_ is an absolute—"

"Where are you trying to go?" Misty asked, setting him down in the pool below the spring, now flowing freely. She was loathe to let him go; Horsea were both rare and adorable, and became very powerful when they evolved.

"I'm Harry. Looking for a miss named Misty?"

"That's me," Misty said, pointing at herself. "Why are you looking for me, Harry?"

"My trainer's a miss named Saylee, heard of her?" Misty glanced at Stella.

"Saylee's still around?" She said in surprise. "Where is she now?"

"Fooshy-something," Harry said, flicking his tail. "They're getting ready to attack Saffron. She's sending out the word to a bunch of folk to see if they want in. You want to take out the north gate?"

"Oh, I would be more than glad to," Misty said, fists clenching. "I'll take them on myself if I have to!"

"You won't, my pal Polly's heading for a settlement in the mountains east of here," Harry said. "Bunch of trainers up there trying to hack a path down to here. There's a really thin path already, I think, the kinda thing you maybe have to crawl along a bit, you know? Some are gonna come down and back you up. Anyway, she said the Rockets are gonna be busy elsewhere. She said..." Harry's snout screwed up as he tried to remember. "Erika and Brock are going for the west gate, Surge's army at the south, the grave guardians at the east and Fooshy people everywhere. Saylee's going in herself to find their headie and give him a kicking."

"Sounds big," Misty commented. "When do we go?"

"Next new moon," Harry said. "Bit over two weeks, but I get the feeling the Fooshy lot like the dark. I'd better get back and let them know you're in."

"Tell Saylee I look forward to seeing her again," Misty promised, stroking Harry's spines. He squeaked happily and swam back up the flow of the water and into the rock. Misty glanced at Sadira, who glowed a little as it pushed Harry back along the water.

{}

"Lieutenant, I'd like to join the assault," SG said, saluting crisply as she and Flo entered the main hall. Surge looked down at her with his arms crossed.

"Thought you weren't a fighter, little lady," he said, glancing further down at Flo.

"I'm feeling up to it," Flo yawned. "And she wants to see her friend Saylee."

"I do," SG admitted. "She's not really any older than I am and she's _leading_ the assault. The least I can do is help fight."

"Start turning up to training sessions and we'll see," Surge said. "We've still got two weeks. Let's see what you and that little fireball can pull out."

"We won't let you down, sir!" SG said, saluting again and running down to the training hall with Flo. "Thanks for agreeing to fight," she said quietly to Flo.

"No problem," Flo responded. "I've was thinking that maybe I owe those jackasses a little fire anyway. Besides..." she chuckled. "I guess I'm curious 'bout those grave guardians that Doduo mentioned would be there. And she's got a Jolteon too. Never seen one before..."

"Once we take out the Rockets, we'll hang out with Saylee and meet her new team," SG giggled. "And then we'll be free to play in the north field! Won't that be fun?"

"Can't believe _you're_ going in for guerilla warfare..." Flo complained, headbutting her trainer in the legs to send her towards the day's drill sergeant for training orders.

They had to be ready. A lot could happen in two weeks. In two weeks, a lot _would_ happen. The biggest gang in Kanto would go down... and maybe that would be just enough to bring the other gangs together.

{}

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_*warping back in time from chapter 40* A new reader asked me when Elric joined the team and the battle with Koga took place. I knew I'd written this chapter and asked if they hadn't skipped it by accident. Nope, it wasn't there. I looked on my hard drive- not there either. Something had happened to a whole chapter, causing it to drop out of the fic entirely D: So I'm sorry, and here it is, the blind battle. Though now I'm worried that you all imagined far cooler battles taking place XD_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	28. Chapter 28

_Pokémon: 11 Deaths: 14_

With no moon, the sky was pitch-black and the autumn night was thick and stifling. The guards on the East Gate flashed their torches back and forth through the blackness, but there was nothing to see.

Among the shadows of the guardhouse, nobody noticed one or two more shadows slipping through. Especially when the guards began to fall unconscious, one by one, keeling over as something blue flashed in the air.

"We could've used poison," Janine grumbled as Saylee walked into the guardhouse. Several of the men around her were snoring. "Same effect... more or less... but they wouldn't be sleeping so _peacefully_."

"We're trying to defeat them, not become them," Saylee said severely, taking care to tread on some of the sleeping men. "Just take their Pokémon away from them and tie them up."

"You'll take care of any of them that wake up, right, sisters?" Carrie said to the contingent of Marowak that followed Saylee into the guardhouse. "And be careful. As soon as they figure out that something's wrong at the guardhouse, they'll send backup."

"You think we can't handle some of these human scum?" One of the Marowak said scornfully. "We will not lose again. We're stronger than we were before. They will not take this guardhouse, and nobody will pass through."

"Besides, they'll have plenty else on their hands once Father and the others take the other gates," Janine added. "You'd better go, Saylee. This needs to go through as quickly as possible. We'll handle things here."

"Good luck, I'll be back soon," Saylee promised, heading out of the guardhouse and into the dark streets of Saffron.

She could see lights shining in some of the houses, but nobody was outside. There was probably some kind of curfew; Rockets were patrolling the streets. Carrie visibly wanted to beat all of their heads in, but Saylee pulled her into the shadows of the back streets. She managed to blend into the darkness well enough in the dark grey cape that Janine had given her.

She stopped in one dead-ended alley that was easily viewed from the sky and looked up. She saw a light approaching her across the pitch-black sky and a few minutes later Chaz landed by her side. Pedro appeared a moment later, followed shortly thereafter by Valerie.

"The gates are taken, but scumbags in black are startin' to head for the south an' west," Pedro muttered.

"I saw quite a number of them rushing about as it is," Valerie said. "There seems to be some kind of commotion in the extremely large building." Saylee looked up at the skyscraper that dominated the skyline, visible from every part of Saffron and from some distance outside of it.

"We might as well go for it, then," Saylee said, releasing Elric and hauling herself up onto Chaz' back. "We're heading for the skyscraper. C'mon."

They were able to get to the front of the building down a back alley, but were astonished to find the front guards already unconscious and the front doors smashed aside. The floor was soaking wet. Pedro took to flying over the huge lobby with Elric and Carrie on his back while Chaz carefully held his tail out of the puddles of water on the floor.

"Looks like someone got here first," Elric said, peering down at the slick floor.

"Could it be Misty?" Chaz asked. Saylee shrugged.

"I don't know," she said cautiously. "There's the staircase. Be careful going up it."

"I'll go up first, in case someone's up there," Elric volunteered, leaping from Pedro's back to a point halfway up the staircase and bounding up the rest of the way.

"Energetic now that he's evolved, ain't he?" Pedro said, folding his wings so that he could fit into the stairwell and flapping up the steps in somewhat awkward small bursts. Saylee ducked as Chaz folded his wings back over her to do likewise.

The next floor was littered with unconscious Rockets. Several of them had unconscious Pokémon such as Raticate and Grimer slumped next to them.

"Whoa... a real tornado hit this place," Pedro observed.

"Someone else already headed in," Saylee said, looking around. "We'd better go up and find out who."

"Whoever they are, doesn't look like they'll need much in the way of backup," Chaz opined, climbing the next flight of stairs.

Six floors up, Elric was taking his turn as the vanguard when he barely managed to dodge at attacking Machop. Machop turned to attack him again, but Pedro caught the small fighter from behind, knocking it across the room with a flick of his wing.

"You!" A Rocket yelled as Saylee ran around to check on Elric. "I heard a kid was running around, causing trouble! That's you, isn't it?"

"Is it?" Saylee asked, nonplussed. The Rocket scowled and released a Machop, which Pedro promptly attacked, taking it out with another sweep of his broad, powerful wings. "Where's your boss?"

"Like I'd tell you!" The man snarled. A moment later, he was borne to the ground by two hundred pounds of irritated Charizard.

"Be good and answer her questions," he growled, casually spitting embers at his captive with every word. The man gulped.

"...my brothers will avenge me!" He spat. "Those above me will take you out before you reach the Boss!"

"So he's above us? Thank you," Saylee said, nodding to Chaz. He let the man go, but whacked him on the head with a wing. The man fell unconscious. "Let's go."

There was, as the man had warned, a second brother on the next floor. This one, however, transpired to have escaped Lavender Town with a pair of young Cubone.

"I'll let you have this one, Carrie," Saylee said. The two Cubone froze slightly as the elder Pokémon stepped forwards, and then just ducked as her bone weapon sailed over their heads and cracked into the Rocket.

"Grave robbers," Carrie snarled, catching the returning weapon as several other Rockets hurried over from other rooms along the floor. "You will _pay._"

Vengeance ensued.

{}

"My brothers will pay back the favour!" The man spat, struggling against Pedro's grip on his upper arms. Saylee frowned.

"We already beat up three guys claiming that they had brothers elsewhere in the building," she commented. "So is this a gang thing where you call your comrades "brothers", or are you just part of a big family?"

"...three, you said?" the man said, suddenly nervous.

"Oh, so you're the last one?" Saylee said brightly, stepping forwards with Chaz leaning over her shoulder so that they could give the man synchronized death-glares. "Then tell me: _Where. Is. Your. Boss?_"

"INTRUDER!" The man yelled at the top of his lungs. "PROTECT THE BOSS!" Elric and Valerie moved forwards to face any oncoming foes while Carrie leapt forwards to knock out the captured Rocket Brother.

"We've got one incoming!" Elric yelled. "Halt right there, or it's ten thousand volts right where it hurts!"

"Looks like he already took a beating," Valerie commented. "Whoever else it was must have been up here already."

"Just one?" Pedro asked, turning to appraise the new threat. He promptly burst out laughing. "Chill, Elric. That's no Rocket. I won't say it's no tailfeather..."

"Yeah, yeah, nice to see you too, Pedro," a familiar voice called. Saylee leapt over the fallen Rocket and ran past her Pokémon to greet him.

"Blue!" She yelled, surprised and happier than she'd admit to see him. "Are you alright? You don't look in very good shape..."

"Yeah, well, that's what I get for taking on a building full of these idiots on my own," Blue said, nudging a knocked-out Rocket with his toe. Gary, who was trotting along at his heels, briefly lifted a back leg over the man's head, but merely sniggered before following his trainer. "You took your sweet time." Despite his casual tone, he was visibly tired, and had a bleeding scratch across one cheek and bruised knuckles. Gary was also panting heavily.

"Yeah, well, you missed a few," Saylee said, joining in the casual joking in tone but simultaneously reaching up to wipe the blood off of his cheek. She cleaned off her hand on her shorts— they were red anyway. Blue looked surprised and jerked a little at the gentle touch. "You look like you could do with patching up. You too, Gary. How're your other Pokémon?"

"Pretty worn out after fighting most of the building," Blue admitted. "Adam's meditating to recover, but the others are exhausted. I wish I could find fire and leaf stones, it'd give Gary and Ed some more power and energy. Pete's in a bad way, too— there was a surprise Magneton..."

"I've still got some healing supplies, we'll have a look at him," Saylee promised. She looked back at her Pokémon as Gary wandered over to say hello. Chaz leaned down and breathed heated air over Gary, making the small canine relax visibly. Valerie and Elric both looked confused. "Oh, yeah. Valerie, Elric, this is Blue. He's an old friend of mine. C'mon, we'd better check on his other Pokémon."

"This way," Blue said, jerked a thumb over his shoulder. He grinned slightly at her. "So, we're friends again?"

"Of course we are," Saylee said, linking her arm in his as they headed towards the overturned office where Blue's Pokémon were resting. "Always were."

"Oi, tailfeather," Pedro said, flapping over to his semiconscious kin. "You look dead."

The other Pidgeot cracked an eye open. "Tailfeather yourself," he mumbled. "Could still beat you with my wings clipped."

"Speaking of clipped wings, I have some fantastic paralysis solution in here," Saylee said, digging in her bag for the yellow bottle. "Carrie, can you apply that to him? I also have," she added, rummaging around again, "some Paras-spore salve..." she came up with a small red tub. "Works wonders on human wounds. Here," she said, unscrewing the lid and holding the tub out to Blue, "rub it into your hands. Looks like you were trying to do a Mega Punch yourself."

"Yeah, turns out a punch to the jaw is supereffective on thieving scumbags," Blue said, dipping his fingers into the salve and rubbing it over his hands. "There were enough of 'em to rush me on the lower floors, so everyone had to pitch in."

"How's life, Sam?" Chaz said, spotting his old friend, retracted into her huge shell— she was clearly a Blastoise now. She popped her head out at his voice.

"I see you evolved too, flyboy," she said, nodding at his wings. "I still think I look cooler." Two sections of her shell clicked back and a large pair of cannon emerged.

"I bet I can still beat you easy," Chaz teased, cracking his claws. Sam gave a derisive snort.

"Bring it on, flyboy," she said, before retracting her cannons. "...Later. I'm rehydrating, so go bug someone else." She retracted her head as well. Valerie was scattering some dust over Edgar. It seemed to be sealing up a crack in one of his eggs.

"Y'know, I still have a Leaf Stone that I never used," Saylee said tentatively. "I found it a little while ago, but, well, I'd already lost Olivia..."

"You know, I was starting to tire out," Carrie commented, "but suddenly I'm ready to punish every Rocket in the building all over again."

"I'm with you there," Pedro said, bumping his beak against Carrie's skull affectionately. "Someone go wake some of them up so we can take them out again."

"I can have this?" Blue said in surprise as Saylee held out the leaf-printed rock. She nodded.

"I don't need it anymore," she said sadly. She looked down at Edgar, who was crowding around her, looking curiously at the stone. "Do you want to evolve?"

"Thanks," Blue said, taking the Leaf Stone. He nodded at Edgar, who began bouncing up and down. "Ready, Ed?"

"Yessir!" Edgar called in unison. Blue set the stone down amidst the six eggs, which immediately began to glow. He and Saylee stepped back as the glow rapidly expanded, an actual tree shooting up and sprouting long green leaves. A moment later, an Exeggutor was standing in the middle of the office, dancing back and forth experimentally on his new legs. Blue's Pokémon crowded around to examine their friend's new body and congratulate him.

"Time to give that new power a test run," Blue said, pointing a finger up. "The boss isn't far off. I found a shortcut to where he is, but it's heavily guarded, so I stopped back here to patch up and hope some backup turned up. A good chunk of the thugs in the building already went out to the gates, but the boss just went straight up to the top floor. I think they found something, but I don't know what. The archives below were utterly trashed."

"I noticed." Blue's hands already looked a lot less red, and he flexed his fingers experimentally. Saylee dipped her fingers into the salve and rubbed some over the cut on his cheek. Blue didn't jerk away this time, but did kind of freeze, eyes sliding to the side to watch her clean his wound. When she caught his look, Saylee blushed and looked down at the tub of salve. "Geez. Remind me to get another tub off Brock before he heads home. I can't believe I've already used up nearly the whole thing." She frowned. "Though I guess I used most of it when Vick died..."

Blue mirrored her frown, snapping his fingers. "Wasn't he an Electrode? What happened?"

"He exploded," Saylee said shortly, twisting the cap back onto the tub. "We'd better move on. I'd like to take out Giovanni as soon as possible. I just know that he's up to something."

"Hey," Blue said, catching her arm as he stood up. "Sorry about that."

"Not your fault," Saylee muttered. She noticed that Sam had appeared out of her shell again and that she and Chaz were watching the pair of humans avidly, clearly giving up on being subtle. Saylee almost jerked her arm away, but instead just sighed, then nodded at Blue. "Lead me to Giovanni. I need to kick his ass. For them."

"Sounds like a plan," Blue said, letting go of her arm. Ignoring the staring— and, in some cases, sniggering— Pokémon, he bent down to check on Pete. "How're you feeling?"

"Mmmm... much better," Pete sighed, stretching his wings. "Thanks."

"No problem," Pedro said. "Now get off your lazy tail and let's go."

"You saw the funny raised pads at the end of some corridors?" Blue said as the resting Pokémon got to their feet, paws and claws. "Teleportation pads. They're set up in a fairly random system. A hostage I found said that they're set up weirdly so that employees can move around the building much quicker than any intruder, as well as making some rooms only accessible by concealed pads. I found the teleport pad that goes up to the executive suit on the top floor. It's at the back corner of another office down here. C'mon." He grabbed her hand and tugged her down the hallway.

"Wait for us!" Carrie called, running after them. Saylee grinned, gripping Blue's hand and running after him to the teleport pad.

{}

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_The Big Battle starts... Carrie actually kicked the ass of just about everything in the building on her own. It felt like she was actually going all-out to avenge her mother. Also, I was always weirded out by Blue challenging you to a battle in the middle of a Rocket-infested building which was surely on high alert by this point, and it doesn't fit his character development in this fic, so that fight doesn't happen._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	29. Chapter 29

_Pokémon: 12 Deaths: 14_

The stairs ended at a huge room surrounded by plate-glass windows. Saylee stopped dead by the nearest, staring down at the city below. She'd expected it to still be dark, but a huge fire was lighting up the night.

She couldn't tell what had started it, but several buildings in the south area of town were ablaze. The grappling forms of Rockets and allies cast huge shadows upwards. There was fighting in the streets everywhere, Rockets fighting to maintain hold of Saffron. They seemed to be losing; peering downwards, Saylee could see Saffron citizens leaning out of upper-story windows and throwing things down at Rockets in the street below. The eastern area was quietest, because the battalion of Marowak were clearly beating the crap out of any Rocket stupid enough to venture their way and were slowly spreading across the city. Refugees from the southern buildings were fleeing into the east gate. Saylee saw two Starmie shoot past the window, swooping down to spray water over the spreading flames.

"Oh, no," she gasped, watching the carnage unfold. "This is bad..."

"Get down, doll!" She heard Pedro yell. Something barrelled into her, bearing her to the ground just as a Golbat smashed through the window that she'd been standing so close to. Saylee found herself pinned to the ground by Blue, keeping her low while Pete shot over their heads to attack the Golbat. Two Rocket guards had run into the room and were releasing other Pokémon to attack, including a Drowzee and a horde of Rattata. Gary immediately leapt on one of the Rattata, howling viciously.

"We'll handle these guys, you go get Giovanni," Blue said, getting up and pulling her to her feet. "Go on, kick his ass!"

"Be careful!" Saylee yelled, running along the walls as Pete battled a flock of Zubat outside. "Come on, guys!"

"Coming!" Chaz called, sweeping aside an Ekans with his tail to clear a path for the others to follow. It reared up, hissing, but was intercepted by Edgar.

"Carrie, come on!" Valerie yelled. Saylee looked back, and her heart stopped to see Carrie facing down another Marowak. The enemy Marowak roared ferally as she attacked Carrie; she seemed entirely out of her mind, broken down by being trained by the Rockets.

"I have to deal with her!" Carrie called back. "I'll be fine, I promise!" She ducked another wild swing from her opponent and smoothly swung her bone around to knock out the other's legs. "GO! Miranda can handle him!""

"She's right, doll," Pedro said, gently grabbing her arm in his beak and tugging her forwards. "C'mon. Let's get Giovanni once and for all."

"Got it," Saylee said, running down the now deserted hallway, to the door labelled "President".

It was locked, but Chaz fixed that easily enough.

Inside, empty strongboxes were strewn all over the floor, their contents stacked on a large desk. They were largely rolls of paper and stacks of photographs. A large number of locked boxes were stacked behind the desk, with a portly little man nervously working the dial on one of them. Giovanni and his Kangaskhan were standing over the man, their backs to the door. They looked around sharply as the door crashed aside.

"..._You_," He growled. "So we meet again!"

"Surprise, surprise!" Saylee said sarcastically. "You're not getting away this time."

"The president and I are discussing a vital business proposition," Giovanni said imperiously, glaring back at the little man, who quickly got back to work on the locked box. "Keep your nose out of grown-up matters, girl... Or experience a world of pain!"

At this point, his Kangaskhan darted forwards, aiming a brutal Mega Punch straight at Saylee. Chaz caught it and flung Kangaskhan across the room. Giovanni sent out his Nidorino and Rhyhorn, both of whom charged straight off. Nidorino fell back when Valerie hit it with a powerful Psychic attack, but Rhyhorn kept coming.

"Miranda, that's you!" Saylee called, releasing the gigantic water-type. "Chaz, out the way!" Chaz, who had continued to grapple with Kangaskhan, dropped his foe and flew sharply upwards as Miranda blasted a wave of water across the room. Rhyhorn was derailed entirely, Nidorino and Kangaskhan both dropping as they tried to get back to their feet. The President and Giovanni both stepped behind the desk as the end of the wave lapped at their feet. Giovanni scowled as both Nidorino and Rhyhorn failed to rise. Kangaskhan made it, but she was unsteady on her feet, and a vicious Wing Attack from Chaz took her down.

"You try my patience, girl," Giovanni snarled, drawing a fourth pokéball. Saylee thought that it might be the Onix from before, but it turned out to be a powerful-looking Nidoqueen. "Body Slam them!"

"Everybody dodge!" They all flung themselves aside as Nidoqueen slammed into Miranda. Miranda roared in pain, but rather than flinching away wrapped herself tightly around Nidoqueen, stopping it from moving. Saylee pulled herself more securely onto Chaz' back, strapping herself into the flight harness, and smiled at Giovanni.

"Psychic, Valerie!" She ordered. Nidoqueen convulsed in Miranda's grip as psychic energy wracked her body, before vanishing into red light as Giovanni returned her.

"Blast it all," the man snarled, slamming his fist onto the desk. Pedro, Elric and Valerie instantly surrounded him. Saylee dismounted Chaz and stalked towards Giovanni.

"You took this entire _city_ hostage," she said, planting her hands onto the desk and leaning across it to glare at Giovanni. He straightened up, looking down his nose at her, but Saylee refusing to be intimidated. Besides, Miranda and Chaz were both glaring at him over her head, and they were far more intimidating than one beat-down human. "What the hell were you after?"

"The plans," Giovanni said loftily. Before Saylee could ask more, the two guards ran through the busted door. Carrie's bone club flew through and cracked them both across the head. Carrie stalked through, catching the bone casually out of the air as she came. Blue whistled.

"Figures you'd have beaten him already," he said. "Have you trained all yours to be as vicious as her, or is that just a Marowak thing?"

"It's a Marowak thing," Carrie said, leaping onto the desk. "We don't take kindly to people despoiling our graves and murdering our kin." She punctuated this by whacking Giovanni so hard across the face that he flew across the room, cracking into one of the panel windows.

"Nice!" Saylee cheered. "Tell me what I want to know, Giovanni, and I might put her back in the pokéball. _What did you want here_?"

Giovanni grinned, which was unsettling. "Team Rocket will never fall, Saylee," he laughed, reaching out and hefting up one of the lockboxes. "Soon, you will see. I must go, but I shall return!" He raised it and Chaz stepped protectively in front of Saylee, all of the Pokémon in the room bracing themselves, waiting to see who he'd throw the box at.

He threw it at the cracked window. It smashed right through and Giovanni jumped out after it.

"No!" Saylee yelled, running for the window. Chaz lurched forward and grabbed her arm, hauling her back just before she tried to lean over the broken glass to see Giovanni fall.

"Back away!" Blue called. Saylee stepped back, and a blast of fire from Gary took out the rest of the glass. "Pete, go down there and recover... whatever's left. Eleven floors is a long damn fall."

Saylee felt sick. Giovanni was a bastard and fully deserved every thump that Carrie felt inclined to give him, but falling that far sounded like a nasty way to die. She was abruptly reminded of the _splat-crunch_ sound of Cal being crushed under an Onix's tail, and had to retch into a potted plant.

"Oh shit, are you okay?" Somebody pulled her hair out of the way, and she felt small hands that must be Carrie's rubbing her back. She wiped her mouth with one of the leaves of the plant.

"That's just... _nasty_," she muttered, shaking her head.

"He's a bastard," Blue pointed out, dropping her hair. Saylee nodded.

"It's still nasty," she said. Blue sighed, but nodded in agreement.

"Hey, Blue," Pete said, flying back in through the window. He spat a brown feather at Blue's feet. "He's gone."

"No shit, he fell eleven floors," Blue said, rolling his eyes, but Pete shook his head, nudging the feather pointedly.

"Not gone as in _dead_," he said. "Gone as in _gone_. No body or anything. And I found this Fearow feather on the ground, with not a one of those damned tailfeathers in sight."

"You mean he _escaped_?!" Saylee yelled, whipping back around and kicking at the pot plant in fury. "He escaped _again_?!"

"Hey, who're you?" she heard Gary growl. She looked over to see him dragging the Silph President out from under his desk. The man was whimpering and trying to hide. Saylee stormed over to him, grabbing the arm that wasn't in Gary's mouth, and yanking him to his feet.

"What was he here for?" She shouted. "What do you have that he was willing to take over a whole damn city for?"

"I don't... I dunno..." Saylee pushed him into the desk. He pushed back defensively, knocking Saylee back a step, and Blue stepped forwards, pulling the man into a headlock. Chaz and Miranda both gathered around, snarling at their captive. He recoiled.

"What. Was. He. _After_?" Saylee asked, her voice low and furious. "This is the second time he's gotten away from me. I need to know what he's looking for, and what he's trying to do. _Now_."

"You'd better start talking," Blue growled, tightening his grip enough to make the man gasp before letting go enough to let him talk. "Or next time, I'm not letting go."

"He wanted the Master Ball!" the President cried. "He wanted the blueprints for the Master Ball!"

"What's the Master Ball?" Saylee demanded. The man looked at the lockboxes.

"I don't know, it's in here somewhere," he whimpered. "There were notes about it, in the research department. We didn't know for sure what they were. Then they turned up, and, and they'd found something, on Cinnabar, they said, and, and they wanted the Master Ball, they were sure it was locked up, made me go through all the lockboxes, we've looked into them before, but, the technology in them, we don't have the resources, no point in, well, we've got to make medicine, and, normal pokéballs, things people need—"

"The Master Ball's a pokéball?" Saylee demanded. The President nodded frantically, as much as he could with Blue's arm around his neck.

"I, I, I think so," he stuttered. "I can't find the plans..."

Saylee whipped around. "Miranda, you need to go help deal with that fire in the southern part of the city," she ordered. "Pedro, help her get down there safely, I'll give her to you in her pokéball." The pair nodded, and Saylee returned Miranda to her pokéball, tossing it to Pedro. "Go quickly."

"Pete, Sam, you'd better go with," Blue said, letting the President go and returning Sam to her pokéball, sending her off with his own Pidgeot. The two flew off.

"Carrie, you'd better go fight with your sisters," she said. "And Valerie, go down with her, get some sleep powder over all of the unconscious Rockets. If there are people to spare, get them up here to tie them all up properly and get them into some kind of custody."

"Ed, Adam, help us tidy this up and find the box with the Master Ball in it," Blue said, waving at the lockboxes. "Gary, keep an eye on that president." The President recoiled as Gary advanced on him, snarling.

"No, don't," Saylee sighed. "He's… sorry for freaking out at you," she said apologetically to the President. "I'm just so _angry_ right now… Gary, you and Elric better drag in those two guards that Blue took out and keep an eye on them. We might have questions for them."

"Fine," Elric said, running off with Gary at his heels

"You really want to find this Master Ball thing?" Blue said quietly as Adam and Edgar began sorting papers out, floating them into the air and sliding them into ordered piles.

"It might help me figure out where Giovanni's going to be," Saylee muttered. "I don't want him to get away. He's been getting in the way too much and causing too much suffering."

"What do you mean by getting in the way?" Blue asked, reading through some of the blueprints. "Did he stop you getting somewhere?"

"Well, he's split the country apart by blocking off this city," Chaz said, "besides, we heard from Koga…"

"He said there's a very powerful psychic living here," Saylee sighed, glancing out of the window. "I haven't had any good leads to Red, so maybe she can help me..." she trailed off, frowning as she read one sheet, and then stuffed it into her backpack.

"You can't take those!" The President squawked. Saylee tried to smile at him.

"I'll make sure that they get to people who have the tech for them," she promised. "It's not like you have any use for them anyway, right?" The President nodded slightly, shrinking back as Chaz growled warningly at him.

"What're you actually doing with them?" Blue asked under his breath. "'Cause you know, it feels a little weird to chase off a thief just to start nicking stuff ourselves."

"Burning them," Saylee muttered. "They're... they're _weapon_ plans." She showed him one sheet. Neither of them were extremely tech savvy, but it was clear that what was being designed was designed to fly a long way and then explode. One seemed designed to split apart and explode in a lot of places at once. Another said something about starting fires. "I don't know why they have all this stuff, but there's enough fighting going on without... stuff like _this_ going around."

"Fair enough." Blue starting pocketing the more violent blueprints. "Would've thought Giovanni would've taken some of this." Saylee frowned.

"So would I," she said quietly. Adam levered open a lockbox for her, and she began rifling through the notebooks inside. "But he just tossed them aside... like they were nothing..."

"...Compared to what he was looking for," Blue finished softly. "The Master Ball."

Two hours later, when the fires had died and the faint light of dawn had replaced them, they found it. It wasn't more than a single blueprint and a small pokéball, purple instead of red. There was also a letter, specifying what was needed from the special pokéball, and signed off from Professor Blaine of Cinnabar Labs.

What they needed was a pokéball strong enough to contain any Pokémon, instantly. No choice, no chance to escape. It didn't just need to contain the Pokémon; it needed to completely subsume their will, turning a living creature into a mindless slave.

"What the hell...?" Blue muttered, glancing at his Pokémon, face contorting into utter disgust. Saylee felt the same way; a mixture of horror and revulsion swept over her as she thought of kind, bubbly Miranda or cocky Pedro reduced to brainless drones; brave, strong Chaz dependant on her direct instructions to so much as breathe...

"Mr President, I think we'll need to look a little longer," Saylee said brightly, hiding the repulsive pokéball in her pocket. "Tell you what, do you want to go downstairs and make sure that your people are alright? You'll need to get production moving again. I think there are going to be a lot of people in town needing your medicines. A lot of people in this country, really."

"There's still a good twenty boxes left," Blue pointed out as the President scurried from the room. "And you've stolen the blueprints from half of them."

"I'll steal anything else that's liable to cause any more death in this country," Saylee responded quietly. "I'm worried about Red, Blue, I'm really sure that something's happened to him, and I want to bring him back to somewhere that might have... medicine, food, things that might help him, whatever's wrong. Not a smoking crater." She dug through some other blueprints and then stuck them in the centre of the desk. They were for a new healing machine, a smaller one that looked more portable. "Soon as I'm done here, we'll go down and help with the cleanup. Maybe we'll find that psychic."

"He's probably fine," Blue snorted. "He's always been tough, you know that. Moron's more likely to have just forgotten to write back for a while. Next time you go back to Pallet, he'll probably be back already."

Saylee smiled a little. "Thanks, Blue." He patted her on the shoulder and then went to talk to Adam about opening another box. Saylee smiled down at the papers she was reading through, but there was a lump in her throat.

_Thank you. Even though we both know you're lying._

{}

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_Sorry it's been ages. Stuff happens, and I've been busy... Also I had a crazy amount of writer's block on this chapter, for some reason. I know how the next bit goes, though, so the next chapter'll hopefully be up soon._

_Name: Lorenzo. Species: Lapras. Nature: Quirky. Ability: Water Absorb._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	30. Chapter 30

_Pokémon: 12 Deaths: 14_

"What's this place?" Saylee asked, brushing some soot off of her glasses to get a better look at the rubble-strewn wasteland upon which the prisoner Rockets were being deposited as a temporary holding area. All were disarmed, tied up and generally beaten up. There was some argument going on about what to do with them; just keeping them prisoner meant feeding and housing people who were contributing nothing to a strained community, but all but the most vengeful Saffron citizens were nervy of just outright killing them or throwing them out into the wild— which essentially amounted to the same thing.

"This was the dojo," Janine said. "I visited it a few times when I was a little girl. People learned how to fight here, and they all mainly used fighting-types. It was the first place the Rockets took out when they took over about a year ago. It was an aerial assault, I heard. I don't know if they killed the trainers or just drove them away, but they smashed the dojo to the ground."

SG shook her head. "They had this place a whole year and never found the Master Ball?" she lamented. She'd seen Saylee and Chaz burning the blueprints and had just called on Flo to come help reduce all of the weaponry designs to ashes.

"They didn't know that it already existed until a short while ago," Saylee said, kicking aside some rubble. "They wanted Silph's technology to try and build something like it from scratch. Then they found memos suggesting that a prototype already existed..." There was a surprise _clink_ of metal underneath the charred wood. Saylee crouched down and pushed the junk aside to find a battered pokéball underneath.

"A pokéball?" Janine said curiously. "If it was under here the whole time, it might be one of the fighters' Pokémon." Saylee clicked the pokéball open and, for a moment, thought that a man was materializing in front of her. When the rematerialization light faded, however, she was clearly faced with a humanoid Pokémon. His head and features were different to a human's, and no human had huge protruding shoulderpads. He was clothed, though, in a purple tunic and shoes and large red gloves, which was unusual for a Pokémon. He seemed disoriented by his long hibernation, bringing up his fists defensively. A long, badly-healed scar was slashed across his face and even extended down to his chest. Extended pokéball hibernation caused many wounds to heal naturally, but it was no substitute for a proper restoration machine.

"Hey, it's okay, we're not here for a fight," Saylee said, raising her hands in supplication, palms out instead of fists. "Well, okay, we were, but that part's over. You trained in the Saffron Dojo, didn't you? What's your name?"

"I am Hernan," the Pokémon said, looking around. "I was... wounded... my trainer had my pokéball..." he looked lost. "What became of the Dojo? What became of the others? The fighting was so terrible..."

"I'm very sorry," Carrie said gently, stepping around Saylee, "but your comrades lost their battle with Team Rocket, and your dojo was razed to the ground." She looked around sadly. "Some of them were still inside. Some of this ash was once living flesh. I am sorry." She rammed her bone into the ground, pointed end in so it stuck, and began to mutter in the singsong language that Saylee recognized as Marowak grave prayers.

"They're... are you sure?" Hernan stammered. He dropped his fists, and Saylee nodded sadly.

"A grave guardian would know," she said, looking down at Carrie. "She's praying for them, though, to ensure that all of their souls are at peace."

"I'm sure that they rest all the sounder knowing that Team Rocket are defeated," Janine added. Hernan nodded, kneeling down and bowing his head to Carrie.

"Thank you for seeing to my comrades," he said. Carrie bowed her head back to him, taking up her bone again.

"It's my duty," she said solemnly. "My sisters are going to head back east, but I will stay here and help guard these lowlifes until it is decided what to do with them."

"They ought to be executed," Hernan said viciously, his fists rising again. "Blood for blood."

"That's not the way to do it!" SG said quickly. "If we kill freely, we're no better than them!"

"I don't believe that they should be executed, either," Carrie agreed. Saylee looked at her in surprise.

"I didn't think you'd be feeling merciful towards them," she said. Carrie shook her head.

"I have no mercy for those thugs and murderers," she said, "but if they were dead, I would be required to honour them."

"I will help guard them," Hernan offered. "Any who step out of line will answer to my fists. It has been a long time since I exercised them." He and Carrie smiled at each other and fistbumped.

"Most of them aren't more than thugs following orders, anyway," Janine said as the three girls walked away from the holding area, feeling that the Rockets were secure enough under the eyes of a vengeful Marowak, Hitmonchan (according to Saylee's Pokédex) and several Fuchsia warriors. "They aren't truly loyal to Giovanni. Most of them could probably be put into some kind of menial labour. I'm sure Brock could always use more miners, and those clearing the mountain paths east of Cerulean could always do with more hands. Under guard, and not allowed Pokémon, of course."

"The Lieutenant would happily put all of them to work cleaning up the docks," SG put in. "He'd keep a tight leash on all of them, and maybe they could even reconstruct some of the old ships!"

Saylee opened her mouth to mention how some of them could be useful in cultivating the land around Pallet— the small settlement could always use more hands around— when they were knocked to the ground as a shockwave blasted through the air. It felt like the force of a bomb-blast, and Saylee rolled over with her hands over her face in case of shrapnel, but when she looked up there was... nothing. No explosions, no buildings burning, no sign of any disturbance except for a few people and Pokémon on the ground.

"What was _that_?" SG asked, rubbing her forehead. Janine had already leapt to her feet and was looking around warily for the source of the blast. As Saylee stood up, something fell out of a pocket of her bag. It was her impromptu dreamcatcher, and the bent spoon and battered coin were both glowing and shaking violently.

The coin swung around in the air, tethered to the spoon by its string, before straining in the direction of a large house next to the remains of the dojo.

"Elric?" She called, looking around for her Jolteon. "Elric!" She finally spotted him, getting to his feet and gently nudging Flo back up as well. The two had hung back, growling together in Eevee language. "Stop flirting and come with me! I think I'm going to need you and Valerie..."

{}

"There's nothing untoward here," Stacey insisted. "This is just a communal house. It probably belonged to some well-off family, a long time ago, but now there's eight people living here."

"This probably did belong to someone well-off," Saylee said, looking around at the fairly luxurious home. There were even ornaments. "And the Rockets never ransacked it?"

The woman shifted slightly. "Our guardian stones protected us, I'm sure."

"Guardian stones?" SG asked, looking around. The woman nodded, standing up and opening a cupboard to reveal a small stone altar. Saylee felt her heart clench.

"That's a gravestone," she said, staring in horror at the familiar stone shape. The woman flinched, but continued smiling, shaking her head.

"It's a talisman," she insisted. "It's always been in this house..."

"It's a gravestone," Saylee said deliberately, standing up. "The kind they use in Lavender. The kind they've been building in Lavender for centuries. Why is it _here_?"

"Is it actually a gravestone?" SG said, backing away nervously. Flo stepped in front of her trainer.

"Sure smells like grave dirt," Flo sniffed. "Your girl Carrie's got a bit of that scent about her," she added to Elric.

"That is true," Elric said, sniffing warily at the gravestone. "Saylee..."

"Why is it here?" Saylee demanded again. "How many are there?"

Stacey's smile faded, and she glared coldly at the girls. "It is the reason that you were _only_ knocked down before!" She said sharply. "It is needed here."

"Is it?" Saylee pulled out the Silph Scope and put it to her eyes. Looking through the scope, the grave glowed. "Valerie, I need you to use Psychic on that gravestone. But... gently."

"As you wish," Valerie said, her eyes glowing with power. The gravestone shuddered, now glowing for normal eyes to see, and purple mist spewed from it. Through the scope, Saylee saw a Haunter.

"There's still a soul trapped in there!" She yelled at Stacey. "Can't you _see_ it?"

"Of course I can, and it defends us," Stacey said coldly. "Under _my_ command. Deal with the intruders! Night Shade!"

Haunter let out an eerie cry and the room turned black. Saylee heard SG scream as everything seemed to shake around them. Suddenly she felt compressed, as if something were squeezing her lungs. With the Silph Scope jammed over her eyes, she could still see Haunter's glow.

"I'm sorry," she gasped. "Val...er..." She choked desperately for air, unable to get any more words out. She reached for her throat, and then her arms dropped, too weak to move. They brushed against the pocket where she had stowed the dreamcatcher and a sudden warmth filled her. She found that she could breathe again. "Valerie!" She called. "Psychic again! Full power!"

"Gladly!" Valerie cried, and purple light lit the room. When it faded, Saylee saw SG on her knees, gasping and massaging her throat. Elric and Flo were also shuddering and choking. Flo sneezed a few embers onto the floor, singing the rug. Valerie's eyes were glowing as she flew around a shuddering, wailing Haunter. Saylee winced at the pained sound, but a Haunter was a creature in pain in any case. It was a Pokémon's soul dragged back from its rest, no recollection of its own identity, only a floating creature of rage and hurt...

"Destiny Bond," Stacey said coldly. Haunter wailed again, and this time both it and Valerie became suffused with a red glow. Seconds later, Haunter faded away into nothing. Valerie was still glowing red.

"Saylee?" She said faintly. "I... I feel..." She fell from the air.

"Valerie!" Saylee screamed, running to catch her, kneeling with the huge bug in her arms. "What's wrong with her?" she screamed at Stacey.

"Haunter bound her soul to its own," Stacey said imperiously. "Her soul, too, will be dragged into the Shadowland."

"How _dare_ you!" Elric snarled, sparking. A spark hit Stacey and she jerked sharply before falling unconscious.

"Is she okay?" SG cried in distress, looking from Stacey to Valerie.

"I did not hit her hard enough to kill her, sadly," Elric said with distaste, and then, more gently, "Saylee? Is Valerie... okay?"

"Go get Carrie," Saylee ordered. "NOW!" Elric and Flo both bolted out of the door. SG crouched in front of Saylee, looking at Valerie. She was still glowing red, but it was fading, and she seemed to grow weaker as the light faded.

"What'll happen to her?" SG asked tremulously. Saylee cradled Valerie with one arm, digging out her Pokédex and flipping it open with the other. There wasn't a lot of information about ghosts' curses, and most of it she'd added herself from things that Mr Fuji had told her. A common thread in all of them, however, was that there was no cure, no prevention. When you were cursed, you were cursed.

"She's going to die," she managed around the lump in her throat. "I'm sorry, Valerie, I'm so, so sorry..."

"Not... your doing..." Valerie gasped. "That... abominable woman... misusing a grave... torturing that soul... it's crying..." she whimpered. "I... I can hear it... calling..."

"What happened?" Carrie called, running into the room with Elric and Flo on her heels. She pulled up short at the sight of the grave. "What is that _doing_ here?"

"It used destiny bond on Valerie," Saylee told her. "We can't do anything for her..."

"I can protect her soul, at least," Carrie said, kneeling in front of Valerie. "I can keep you from being trapped in that gravestone, Val. I'm sorry that I can't do more."

"Thank you..." Valerie muttered, her eyes drifting closed as the light faded. Carrie began praying quickly, clutching her bone club in front of her. Saylee was beginning to recognize some of the words; she'd heard grave prayers far too often of late. She started to hum along to the melodic prayer, watching the light fade entirely from Valerie's body. A few moments later, she felt the soft body relax in her hands.

Valerie's soul was safe, but she was still dead.

{}

"Will Carrie be alright, getting the other graves on her own?" SG asked. Saylee had found several keys in Stacey's pocket and was trying them on a locked door in the next room.

"She's a born and bred warrior and grave guardian," Saylee said, scrutinizing the lock and trying to pick out a key that looked the right size. "Heavens help anyone who stands between her and recovering those grave stones. I sent Pedro to fetch some of her sistren back to take them to Lavender."

"Why _do_ they have to be in Lavender?" Elric asked. "I understand that it's terrible for the souls of the dead Pokémon to be manipulated as... guardians... or somesuch, but why do they need removed from the house?"

"Mr Fuji said that Lavender Town was... consecrated, somehow, a long time ago," Saylee explained. "All of the Pokémon that I've been there with have said that they feel funny while they're there. The general area just has something about it... maybe the line between the real world and the world of the dead is thinner. I don't know. Pokémon seem to be able to die and move on just find outside of Lavender, but only on Lavender soil can they move between one world and the other. Those gravestones are hewn out of rock from the mountains around Lavender, that's why those Pokémon's souls are still bound to them. But they're in the wrong place. They're formless." She finally located the right key, and the lock _clicked._ "That's what Mr Fuji told me."

"You sure know a lot about death, hon," Flo said. Elric nipped her ear as a reprimand when Saylee's face fell.

"I felt like I needed to know," she said softly, pushing the door open. "Let's find out what they're so desperate to hide."

{}

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_I had expected to plow through most of Sabrina's gym with Valerie :( And I did... right up until a fast Haunter used Destiny Bond on Valerie right before she Psychiced its ass. Farewell, Valerie. You were awesome._

_Assessment time's coming up, which means buttloads of rehearsals for me and lots of writing fanfic instead of doing my essays XP _

_RIP Valerie the Venomoth, level 24-39_

_Name: Hernan. Species: Hitmonchan. Nature: Naive. Ability: Keen Eye._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	31. Chapter 31

_Pokémon: 11 Deaths: 15_

"This place is a maze," SG complained. Every step they took seemed to take them into another room, like the interior of the building didn't follow conventional space laws. Saylee held out the bent spoon in front of her with the coin dangling from it. The coin was constantly swinging and pointing them in the right direction. At least, Saylee hoped it was the right direction. Elric and Flo were both looking increasingly concerned as they trekked deeper into the building, but Saylee trusted in Daisy and Alan to lead her right. She might have failed them, but they'd never failed her.

"What do you think's in here?" Flo asked. "What do you think they're hiding?"

"Whatever caused that shockwave," Saylee said thoughtfully. "Since... this... reacted..." she waved the spoon slightly, "I'm guessing it was psychic power. That would explain why it knocked us down but didn't seem to damage any buildings, anyway. And why they've stolen tombs. Ghosts are generally immune to psychic power."

"Wouldn't that suggest that they're _sealing _something?" Flo said. "As in, something dangerous that we probably shouldn't go anywhere near?"

"She does have a point," Elric agreed. "This does not come across as safe, Saylee."

"I know it's not," Saylee said quietly. "But Team Rocket weren't all I came here for. There's supposed to be a powerful psychic living here, and they might just be able to find Red. Nobody's seen him in Kanto for over a year, and the trail's going cold. I have to risk it." She looked at SG. "You don't have to come in with me, you know. I have to meet this psychic, but there's no reason for you to put yourself in danger."

"Yeah, but why not?" SG said, smiling brightly and giving her a hug. "You can always use cheering up. Besides, you know, this person might not be all _that_ dangerous. They might just be a frightened prisoner."

"Either way, they can't keep using graves like this," Saylee said, turning to follow the coin. "In either case, they need help..."

A few steps later, and they were in a room full of bright purple light. All sorts of bent and twisted items littered the floor, at least until something picked them up and began flinging them at Saylee.

"Get down!" Saylee yelled, tackling SG aside as a plate flew at them and smashed against the wall just behind where they had been standing. The spoon was humming and shuddering in her hand.

"Stop!" she yelled, waving her hands as she rolled to her feet, glancing at the smashed plate and the scattered crumbs of the cookies that had been on it. She jumped aside as a rubber ball shot towards her, bouncing back off the wall hard enough to fly back at the girl who had sent it. When it reached her, though, it curved gently aside.

It was a girl of about twelve or thirteen, pale and slight with long dark hair pooling on the floor where she sat. She was dressed in red pyjamas and was sitting curled up on the floor with one hand reaching out to Saylee. Saylee choked up to see a Venomoth sitting on the girl's shoulder and a Kadabra standing behind her with its evolved form, Alakazam. There was another Pokémon that she didn't recognize, but her Pokédex told her was a Mr Mime.

"It's okay," she called. "We're not going to hurt you. Please calm down..."

The girl looked confused. She raised her hand, and Saylee first noticed that three of her Pokémon raised their hands with her. Venomoth flapped its wings. The ball flew back at Saylee at high speed. The girl frowned when Saylee dodged.

"Stop it!" SG screamed, ducking as the ricocheting ball flew over her head. "Please!" The girl winced at SG's screaming, putting her hands over her ears and bowing her head. Her Pokémon scowled, glowing purple as they built up some kinds of energy. Saylee, SG, Flo and Elric were all knocked over by the pulse of psychic power.

"I have had _enough_ of this," Elric growled, leaping to his feet and firing off a pin needle at the girl's entourage. They all winced back under the pins and the power dropped. The girl gasped.

"That sure worked!" Flo whooped. Elric stared at Saylee in confusion.

"It certainly did," Saylee said, "which is odd, since we've never found that move to be particularly powerful before..."

"Look out!" SG yelled. Kadabra and Alakazam had both stepped in front of the girl and were raising their spoons threateningly, directing their power at Elric.

"Give 'em another pin missile!" Saylee ordered. Elric shot off another volley of pins that knocked Kadabra and Alakazam to the floor. The girl screamed.

"Stop it!" SG yelled, visibly distressed. "It's hurting her too!"

"I'm sorry," Saylee cried, running over to the girl. "Are you o—" She suddenly slammed into nothing. It felt like she'd hit a wall, but she couldn't see a thing. She saw Mr Mime wave his hands and the invisible wall pushed her backwards, sending her flying into SG.

"I'm sorry, SG," she gasped, quickly rolling off her friend and pulling her back up. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," SG insisted, rubbing her butt. "Ouch..."

"What are we going to do?" Flo demanded as Kadabra and Alakazam returned to their feet and raised their spoons again. Venomoth flew towards them, its wings spreading glittering blue powder, but Flo spat embers at the powder that burned it out of the air. "We might have to take her out!"

"Maybe," Saylee said uncertainly, "but..." the girl's scream of agony as her Pokémon were hurt was still rattling around Saylee's skull. She really didn't want to wring another sound like that out of the child.

"Well, a plan would be nice," Elric said, firing some pins at the psychics' feet to make them step back, "preferably _now_."

{}

"Ready? Three— two— one— LIFT!"

"Is this the last one?" Cheryl asked as she and Carrie watched two of the others careful carrying a tombstone away. It was the seventh being returned to Lavender Town. Carrie shook her head.

"One more, they said," she said, slinging her bone over her shoulder and reaching up to open the door, determined to search the house for the last stolen grave. "Do you want to call a couple of the others to take it home? I'm going to stay here with Saylee."

"Some of us are quite jealous that you were the one who left with her," Cheryl said. "She's a good human."

"She is," Carrie readily agreed. "Very honourable. She cares very much for each and every one of her Pokémon, living and dead."

"And you've gotten so much stronger with her!" Cheryl added. "Look at you. You've gotten so much tougher than the rest of us. If you ever decide to return to Lavender, you'll surely be the Graveyard Mother!"

"Of course I'm coming back," Carrie said in surprise. "I love Saylee, but I won't stay with her forever. She has goals that she must achieve, and I fully intend to see her achieve them, but in the end I believe that she wishes to return to her village. She will not abandon her home, and nor will I."

She opened another door and a young man was there, holding out his hands to a scowling Gastly. To the man's confusion, the ghost shrank back at the sight of the two grave guardians. Carrie's bone club wiped the confusion off of the man's face and the Gastly returned to the grave as its controller sank into unconsciousness. Cheryl knelt by the grave to say a prayer that would calm its spirit for the journey home.

"And I will _always_ defend the dead who need me," Carrie said, helping Cheryl move the grave. "No matter where they are."

{}

The girl had curled up entirely on the floor, but suddenly her head snapped up and her eyes widened.

"I can see," she whispered. "I can _hear_!"

"What?" SG said, looking at Saylee for an explanation. Saylee shrugged, and then yelped as light engulfed all of them.

A moment later they were outside, standing in the streets of Saffron. For the first time, the girl was standing up. She was short as well as slight, so her hair still dragged on the ground some, but it lifted up and swung behind her unnaturally as she twirled. She had a bright grin on her face as she looked around, staring in incongruous wonder at the half-ruined city.

"What just happened?" Flo said in confusion. "How'd we get out here?"

"Wasn't that a teleport?" Elric said, glancing at the manor that they were now standing outside of. Carrie and another Marowak were walking out of the front door, holding up a grave. When she saw them, the girl shrieked and curled up again, her Pokémon crowding protectively around her.

"Carrie, get that out of here!" Saylee called, stepping towards the girl. Carrie nodded and she and the other Marowak began to run, keeping the grave firmly supported on their shoulders. Once they were out of sight, Saylee turned back to the girl. She began to step towards the child, but Alakazam and Kadabra turned their glares on her and raised their spoons. Elric stepped forwards, ready to defend Saylee, but a moment later the pair of psychics had suddenly dropped their arms, all hostility gone. They stepped aside to leave Saylee a clear path towards the girl, who was standing up a little uncertainly. Saylee reached out a hand to her.

"Are you alright?" She asked gently. To her surprise, a cookie floated up and landed in her hand. It was one of the cookies that had been sitting on the plate the girl had thrown at them.

"I'm sorry," the girl said softly, after a moment of silence. Her voice was very wispy. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I can't control it. The other ladies who came in could stop it in the air, like me."

"I'm afraid I can't," Saylee said gently, biting into the cookie. "But that's okay. You couldn't know. Thank you for the cookie." The girl beamed at the praise. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Sabrina," the girl said. "And you are Saylee and SG. Did you take away the seals?"

"Seals?" SG asked. Saylee nodded.

"The graves," she said. "Those things shouldn't have been there, Sabrina," she said. "They're being taken back to where they belong. They won't hurt you anymore. Why did they lock you up?"

Sabrina looked down. "Don't know. It was a long time ago. One morning, I woke up and I wasn't at home. I was there. And something was pressing in on my mind. I couldn't hear the world in my brain. It was so quiet... I only had my friends," she said, looking around. "Abdul and Aziz and Merlin and Vanna." Saylee heard all of them greeting her inside of her mind, except for Vanna, who was more aloof than the others and refused to speak. "Thank you for letting me out!"

"Come on," Saylee said, reaching out again and managing to get her arm around Sabrina's shoulders. "Let's try and find you some warmer clothes. Those jammies don't look too cozy."

Sabrina shivered. "Thank you," she muttered. Vanna settled on her shoulder and fanned her wings over her, covering her against the cold.

{}

"Ten years, huh?" Blue sighed, watching the girl staring up in awe at the stars. "Did you find out why?"

"We got Stacey to tell us," Saylee said. SG looked uncomfortable. She hadn't liked Saylee letting Carrie threaten the head jailer until she told them the truth. It struck Saylee that threatening someone for information with an angry grave guardian wasn't something she probably would have done several months ago when she'd met SG. She wondered if it was too much for a misguided psychic, as compared to the actively malevolent Rockets. "She's been powerfully psychic ever since she was little. One night, her parents died mysteriously and a couple of older psychics— Stacey and her sister— thought Sabrina was dangerous and locked her up. They thought she had no control. They claimed to be proven right by how violently uncontrolled her powers became over the following years. She had a Mr Mime and two Abra, they gave her the Venomoth in an attempt to help control her. Vanna thinks that her powers got out of control because she was sealed, though. She's got a lot of power, but repressing it like that made it... more intense."

"So they claimed that made her more dangerous and sealed her even tighter," Blue said, rolling his eyes. "For people who pride themselves on their mental powers, they don't do well with logic, do they?"

"But she didn't accidentally kill her parents," SG added. "Her powers were a little out of control when she was small, but she didn't kill them. Turned out that there were Weedle and Kakuna nesting in the rafters of their house, there was a crack in the roof and poison dripped onto them while they slept. Sabrina slept in a different room with her three Pokémon. She didn't get poisoned. The reason that her parents looked like they'd been thrown around..."

"Convulsions in their death throes," Saylee said, spotting SG's increasing discomfort. "But the neighbours were nervous of Sabrina and jumped to conclusions. Stacey and her sister had checked it out properly, but they were too scared to let Sabrina out because by that point Sabrina had been locked up for several weeks and was so scared and upset that she flew into violent tantrums whenever she saw them. Can't blame the kid, really. Besides, their whole gig was that they were all-knowing, and that was a pretty big mistake to make."

"I'll say," Blue snorted. He glanced at Sabrina again. "Can she really See?" He said quietly. "You said she might be able to See Red..."

"She's clearly a powerful psychic," Saylee said. "She said that she could see and hear properly again when she was out of the seal. Her psychic powers allow her to sense over a wide area. I don't know how far it extends." She looked over at Sabrina too. The girl had created the little purple orbs of light that had lit up her room and was giggling as she made them spin around her, forming some of the constellations that she could see above. She started batting a large one back and forth with Abdul and Aziz. All three abruptly looked around at Saylee.

"You want to find someone," Sabrina said. Saylee jolted to hear two voices that had to be Abdul and Aziz speaking in unison inside her mind. "That's why you came to find me. To get me out."

"I got you out because you needed got out," Saylee said, standing up and walking over to her. "But yeah. I need to find someone. I'm looking for someone. If you could help me find him, I'd be very grateful."

"Stand still," Merlin instructed her, placing his large hands either side of her head. "Think of who you want found."

"I'll do it too," Blue said, standing next to her. Merlin nodded, stepping back.

"Hold hands, close your eyes, and focus," he ordered. Blue smirked at Saylee and she rolled her eyes, grabbing her hands and closing her eyes. She felt him lean forwards until his forehead touched hers, his eyes probably closed too. That wasn't entirely conducive to focusing entirely on Red, but Saylee tried anyway. She focused on childhood memories, the three of them playing together. Red was always the leader in their games, their scavenging hunts. She focused on him, five years old, defending her and Blue as toddlers from a wild Rattata. She focused on nights on the road where she and her brother had huddled together, how much bigger and warmer he'd always been. She focused on his face when he first met Ben, his pride at being a Pokémon Trainer, the letters from him, the last letter...

"I see Red," Sabrina whispered. Saylee cracked her eyes open and saw Sabrina standing behind Merlin, with Abdul and Aziz either side of her, eyes closed, hands raised.

"Close your eyes," Merlin ordered again and Saylee did so, focusing on her big brother. She had to find him, she just _had_ to...

"Silver," Sabrina whispered. "To the dying sun. Silver. So cold. So sad. So scared. Dying like the sun. Never coming home..." Sabrina's voice broke and Saylee opened her eyes again to see the girl crying. She dropped Blue's hands and ran over to hug her. Sabrina's Pokémon crowded around, their trainer's distress transferring to them. The exception was Vanna, who merely had a motherly sort of concern about her.

"I'm okay," Sabrina sniffed. "I'm not sad. Red is. Silver..."

"It's okay," Saylee whispered, but didn't try to hide the fear in her eyes as she looked up at Blue. He looked stricken, and didn't seem to have any clue what to say.

_Dying. Red is dying._

{}

{}

_I got out another chapter! With FORESHADOWING! Not that you probably don't know where Red is anyway XD_

_Oh Arceus, I really need to be writing that essay..._

_Happy Easter to all!_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	32. Chapter 32

_Pokémon: 10 Deaths: 16_

"Do you have to go?" Sabrina asked. The young psychic had clearly seen something in Saylee's mind that she liked and had stuck to her like a leech for the past week while they helped restore some of the city. Pedro, Pete and Chaz had been flying back and forth to take people home and distribute the captive Rockets among those towns that had agreed to house them as a labour force with no access to Pokémon. Erika had also sent with them some of the seeds from her greenhouse and the Saffron greenhouses, which were prolific enough to keep both cities self-sufficient in terms of food and ought to deal with the food and medicine shortages in other towns. Pallet didn't have the space or technological might for a greenhouse, but a number of both Rockets and guards from Vermillion were leaving to at least help clear the land and begin building a greenhouse. SG was among them.

"I'm not much of a fighter, and Vermillion's nothing but," she admitted, giving Saylee a hug goodbye. "I'd love to do something constructive, and we owe you two so much for taking out Giovanni!"

"I'm sorry we couldn't catch him," Saylee said, helping her up onto Chaz's back and into the flying harness. "And we really couldn't have done it without everyone's help."

"Even so," SG said, raising Flo's pokéball. Flo looked mournfully at it and then gave Elric a tender lick on the cheek goodbye. He nuzzled the fluff around her neck. The pair had become inseparable as they worked together to keep the boundaries of Saffron protected from wild Pokémon. Though their relationship was extremely snarky— not that anyone would expect anything else from either of them— their tender goodbye was also a surprise to nobody. Elric's ears drooped down as Flo vanished into her pokéball.

"...Elric?" Saylee asked, finding it hard to bear his visible sadness. "Do you want to go with Flo and SG?"

"Could I?" he asked, perking up sharply, before checking himself. "I mean... there's still so much to be done, Saylee..."

"And there's so much to be done in Pallet, too," Saylee said, stroking his spindly fur. "And there's nothing more that a world like this needs than a little more love." Elric sparked in embarrassment, ducking his head. "Go on. I'm sure Mum will be happy to see you again, and I'll be back in Pallet before long anyway. Tell her that, will you?"

"Your mother is a very patient woman, so you had better come see us soon," Elric said, nuzzling her hand. "Thank you, Saylee. I will see you soon, I hope." He looked up at Chaz. "Look after her. The Rockets may be no more, but that hardly makes this world a safe place to be."

"It's what I do," Chaz promised, nodding at Elric. Saylee returned him and tossed the pokéball up to SG.

"Thank you," SG said softly, placing it in the same pocket as Flo's pokéball and zipping it closed. "I'll keep them together. I'm sorry I don't have anything to trade you for him..."

"Just the promise to look after Pallet," Saylee said, waving. SG grinned and saluted in response.

"I'll get right on that!" She yelled as Chaz flapped out his wings. "See you soon!"

"Bye!" Saylee called, waving them off. She watched them until they vanished over the trees. It was at this point that Sabrina ran up to her, hugging her tightly, having clearly heard her intent to leave.

"I have to go, Sabrina," she said. "This is your home. I must return to mine."

"I'll miss you," Sabrina said. "I like you. I don't know what to do on my own."

"You have your Pokémon," Saylee said, putting her hands on Sabrina's shoulders and leaning down to look the shorter girl in the eye. "And you have a fantastic power. I bet you can help out a lot of other people with it."

"I didn't help you," Sabrina said, shaking her head. "I just made you sad. You're still sad."

"I'm always sad when it comes to Red," Saylee said, bringing up a smile thought she knew that Sabrina would see through it. "But thanks to you, I might just find him!" She gave Sabrina a hug. "There are so many lost people in this world. You can help them. Go get stronger."

"One day, we'll have a proper Pokémon battle," Sabrina promised. "You're a Pokémon trainer. It'll be fun! Promise?"

"Promise," Saylee agreed. "I'd better go find my Pokémon and Blue so we can get ready to go when Pedro and Pete return."

"Chaz is leaving and Pedro is returning," Sabrina said, slightly glassy-eyed. "Miranda has fixed the water supply to the greenhouse and Carrie and Hernan are approaching you now."

"Thanks," Saylee said, glancing over her shoulder, "But Hernan's not my Pokémon..."

"That's why I wished to speak to you," Hernan said as he walked up to her. "My master is gone, but I am still a warrior. I wish to fight alongside you and Carrie, Saylee."

"We still have to find Giovanni," Carrie added. "He wants revenge on him as much as I... as we do. And he's very versatile." She nodded at Hernan, flipping a charred piece of wood from the dojo into the air. He turned and punched it as it fell, encasing it in ice. A second was set aflame, and the third was split in half by a flash of electricity.

"The elemental punches!" Saylee breathed. "I heard about them, but I never heard of a Pokémon that can _perform_ them!"

"I can perform anything if it involves punching," Hernan said proudly. "It is my discipline. Please, allow me to fight with you. I have no other purpose."

"If you want to come with us, we'd be happy to have you," Saylee said, reaching out to shake Hernan's fist. "We lost Valerie and now Elric's left. We could do with someone as skilled as you around if we're going to find and take out Giovanni once and for all."

"Elric left?" Carrie said. "Where did he go?"

"Back to Pallet," Saylee said, "where we'll be soon, after we check in at Lavender."

"Blue, Pedro and Pete are almost here," Sabrina said. "Time to go."

"I'll see you again," Saylee promised, letting go and waving to Blue as he rounded a building. "I promise."

"I know," Sabrina said with a smile. "I already see it."

{}

"Are those Valerie's ashes?" Blue asked, nodding to the small box that Saylee was clutching. She nodded.

"Olivia's the only one actually buried there," she said. "I'd like to bury at least one other there. And even though Carrie prayed for her, I'm still a little worried about her spirit. I don't want her to come back as a Gastly or a Haunter... or a _Gengar_." She shivered.

"Yeah, I've had more than enough of ghosts," Blue grumbled. "I've had more than enough of Lavender, come to that. Let's drop her off and get the hell back to Pallet."

"If you don't want to go to Lavender, why are you coming with me?" Saylee prodded. Blue rolled his eyes.

"We're going back together anyway," he muttered. "And if I leave you alone you'll probably run into a Zapdos or something and get your butt beat." Saylee smiled. His health had recovered fully and so had his snark. She didn't mind now, though. It was much better than seeing him so sick and starved.

"We're not exactly going to make it there tonight, though," Blue went on, looking up at the rapidly darkening sky. "We're close, but it's still a coupla hours and I'm sure as hell not wandering in there at midnight."

"Good point," Saylee agreed, peering around for some decent open land where Chaz would see them when he caught up to them. She hoped that he would find them soon. It was the early part of autumn and getting cooler at night, and she'd relied on Chaz's warmth and fires for so long that she wasn't looking forward to having to set a fire herself. She didn't even have a flintstone on her, let alone a fancy flintlock lighter.

"I got a good bit of food from the greenhouses," Blue said, taking out a packet of fruit. "Hope your Chaz turns up soon, these are supposed to be pretty good cooked. Actually, forget it— Gary!" He released his Arcanine. "I'll give you the spicy ones if you cook these for us."

"Deal," Gary said, settling down. Blue set the fruit on the ground and Gary gently breathed heat over them.

"I'll send Pedro to go find him," Saylee said, throwing his pokéball into the air. "Pedro! Can you try to intercept Chaz and bring him back to our camp?"

"No prob, doll," Pedro called, circling them once to get a good look at the lie of the land before setting out in the direction of Pallet. Saylee and Blue sat down by Gary's warm side, eating the hard fruits once they were cooked tender. It was soon very dark. Gary was warm, but he didn't have an external flame, so aside from the occasional burp of embers there was nothing to light up the night. It made Saylee uncomfortable. She was too used to sleeping with light.

"Where the hell did that jackass Giovanni go?" Blue complained aloud. "Where would he go? Do you think he ran away? Out of the country? Cowardly bastard?"

"I don't know," Saylee said, clicking open her Pokédex for the light of the display screen and clicking through to the information about Giovanni's Pokémon. The Kangaskhan could only have come from the northern part of the Fuchsia forests, and the Onix had to come from deep underground, but the other Pokémon that he had used weren't uncommon and could have been captured anywhere. It was unlikely that he'd settled for Pokémon from his home area, anyway, not when he'd taken over many other areas and any rare Pokémon nearby. "I couldn't place him by his Pokémon. Maybe he did go abroad. I think you can walk to another country in the west, if you can make it over the mountains."

"The west, huh?" Blue said around a mouthful of fruit. Saylee glared at him for talking with his mouth full. He couldn't see her in the dark, but must have been able to tell that she was making that face anyway, because he swallowed before continuing. "Where that creepy kid said that Red was."

"Sabrina," Saylee corrected him, "and yeah. She said the direction of the dying sun. That's got to be sunset. The sun sets in the west. Red's last letter said that there was something in "the Indigo area"— isn't that the foot of the mountains to the west of Viridian?"

"I think so," Blue said. Saylee heard a rustle of paper and turned her Pokédex so that its light fell onto Daisy's map. The area west of Viridian was marked "Indigo" and there was a path leading to the foot of the mountains. "No idea what could be there, though. Just rocks."

Saylee got out Red's last letter from her bag pocket where she always kept it and held it to the light. She didn't need to, really, since she knew it by heart. "He said that he heard of something valuable hidden there. Something from before the war, or whatever. Whatever it is, he went in there and didn't come back. Nobody else has seen him since."

"So going in after him isn't a completely idiotic idea _because_...?" Blue said. Saylee laughed.

"It probably is," she admitted. "That's why... it's a last resort. I've been looking all over to see if anybody's seen him since, and nobody has. If I have to—"

"OI!" Gary yelled sharply. Something was snuffling around the fruit. Gary snapped it up in his jaws, but after a flash of light he dropped it again. "Ow, ow, ow..."

"That was electricity! Carrie!" Saylee called, releasing the grave guardian. She closed her eyes, listening for sound in the darkness. Something was running through the grass around them, circling the fruit. "Over there!" She pointed out and Carrie flung her bone in that direction. There was a yelp of pain in the grass and Saylee heard something _thump_ to the ground. There was a _thunk_ as Carrie caught her bone.

"What's going on?" Blue demanded. "I can't see a damn thing!"

"Neither can I," Saylee said, "but we got attacked by something electric. Make sure Gary's not paralyzed." She could hear movement in the grass, but whatever it was wasn't actually moving around; just getting to its feet, it sounded like.

"Do you want me to hit it again?" Carrie asked.

"No, don't. Hello out there?" Saylee called. "Electric-types don't live around here, so you must have come a long way. I bet you're hungry. You don't have to steal, if you come on out peacefully. Come on." She picked up the last of her fruit, roasted tender but untouched so far. "You are hungry, aren't you?"

"...well, yeah," a voice said weakly. "Come down from the plant, ain't I? Bloody starving. You really gonna give me that? For free, like?"

"I could give you food for free every day," Saylee said. "I could do with an electric-type around. Especially a tough one like yourself that can handle an Arcanine's jaws."

"It didn't hurt me," Gary muttered. "Just surprised me, is all."

"Damn straight," Blue agreed. Saylee giggled.

There was another little spark and something glowed in the darkness. A glowing yellow Pikachu crawled out of the grass towards her.

"You a trainer, then?" he asked. "That what you're sayin'? I fight for you, you feed me?" He sniffed at the fruit. Saylee held it out and he tentatively bit from it. Once he was sure it wasn't poisoned he snatched it away from her and began tearing at it. "Thanks, luv," he muttered around a mouthful of fruit. Saylee groaned. "Cor, this is good, innit? Well, I suppose it ain't half bad as a thought. Free food's nothin' to be sniffed at, an' I'm tough, I am. Proper fighter, me. Sounds like a good deal. I'm in." Still glowing, he winked at Carrie. "Ain't gonna turn my tail up to hangin' around with a coupla tough birds like you, either."

"Speaking of tough birds..." Carrie said, looking up. There was a light approaching them. Saylee watched it approach eagerly, unable to wait to see her two oldest comrades again. Thanks to the Pikachu's light, they spotted her easily. Saylee shivered as their flapping wings stirred up cold wind as they landed.

"Welcome back," Saylee said, hugging Chaz's warm head. "Did everyone get settled in alright?"

"You should have seen your mother's face when she saw the food you sent," Chaz chuckled. "Everyone's a little tight for accommodation just now, but I don't suppose anyone'll complain about that now it's getting colder. Elric and Flo looked happy to be together, too, and Elric looked happy to see your mother again. They're doing quite well, and they're very happy to hear that you're both coming home soon."

"Who's this sparklet?" Pedro said, peering down at the little electric, snapping his beak at him. The Pikachu sparked back. Pedro fluffed his feathers indignantly.

"Both of you be nice," Saylee admonished them. "You might be fighting together in the future. This is..." she looked down at the Pikachu. "Sorry, what is your name?"

"Name's Paul," the Pikachu said. "Who're these big buggers?"

"This is Pedro," Saylee said, "and Chaz. You've met Carrie. I'll introduce you to Miranda and Hernan anther time. And I'm Saylee." She crouched down and reached out a hand to Paul. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Same here, luv," Paul said, sniffing her hand in case there was more fruit and then licking it anyway. "Listen, the main reason I found you was I felt somethin' funny. Don't have a thunderstone on you, do you? Been following the feel of it for a while."

"A thunderstone?" Blue said. He'd been watching the whole altercation with a sort of amused smirk on his face, but now he looked genuinely interested. "They're very rare. Where'd you get it?"

"Found it while clearing out a house in Saffron," Saylee said, digging it out of her bag. "Nobody was missing one, so… Ah, here we go..." she held up the shining golden stone. Paul eyed it hungrily.

"Cor," he breathed. "Never seen one before. But I seen the guys who have... always wanted to be powerful like that."

Saylee glanced from him to the thunderstone, and then held it out to him. "Well, far be it from me to stand in the way of your dreams..."

{}

"That was how I met Rick," Blue commented. Saylee cracked an eye open, reluctantly pulling herself back from the brink of sleep, and saw that he was watching Paul sleep, curled up happily against Carrie's side. His new power levels were still balancing, so he was only safe to sleep next to Carrie, who was unaffected by the occasional random spark.

"Hmmm?" She mumbled. Blue nodded at the fruit stalks that were scattered around.

"He stole my food," Blue chuckled. "Sneaky little bastard got away with it for a whole day before I caught him stealing my food whenever I set my bag down. I had to catch him for that."

"Yeah, I caught Rachel like that too," Saylee said, thinking fondly of the little purple Pokémon. She'd only had her for a short while, but she still remembered how sweet she was, and the pain of her sudden death. "Must be a rodent thing. She didn't live to evolve, unlike Rick." She frowned, watching her Pokémon sleep peacefully.

"Don't give me that look," Blue said. "You're keeping him alive. You've made him strong enough to protect himself even if he does run off. He came down here because he was starving to death, Saylee. Don't start worrying that you're gonna get him killed when you're keeping him alive." He closed his eyes, leaning back against Gary's side. "Moron."

"Stop waking me up," Saylee said, closing her eyes again and snuggling in between Gary's warm fur and the comfort of Chaz's side. "Jerk."

She was peacefully asleep moments later.

{}

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_Got this done really quickly while watching through the Lord of the Rings movies. I'm typing this while a hippy's dream comes true and the trees take out Isengard. It's pretty awesome. Trees killing stuff and Hobbit bromance are always inspiring._

_Also, Elric's death was an accidental and extremely ignoble one. So I'm giving him a nicer out. Of course he and Flo would be instantly attracted to each other, they're just about the only members of their species that they've ever seen..._

_I'm not doing a proper section on the Power Plant because I've decided that this fic is going to be light on the Legendaries. _

_Name: Paul. Species: Pikachu. Nature: Gentle. Ability: Static._

_RIP Elric the Jolteon, level 25-46_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	33. Chapter 33

_Pokémon: 11 Deaths: 16_

"So, we took out Team Rocket," Saylee said aloud to the gravestone. There were far too many names on it. "Giovanni got away, but he can't have much left, they'd made Saffron their base of operations. We'll find him and destroy him. I've got a lead on Red, too." She settled the box containing Valerie's ashes in the cubby behind the stone next to Olivia and pushed it back into place. She leaned on it for a moment, eyes closed, silently praying apologies into it.

"Is it worth it?" Saylee whispered. Chaz placed his claw on his trainer's arm, the only comfort that he really knew how to offer. Pedro nipped her cheek.

"It better be," he said quietly. "Don't give up, Saylee. Make it worth it."

"I know," she said. "It's just... What if you died, or Chaz—?"

"We won't die on you, Saylee," Chaz said softly. "I refuse to die on you."

"Nobody can control that, pal," Pedro said, kicking at Chaz, before nipping Saylee again. "Listen, doll, I like livin'. I like bein' able to spread my wings and see the world and meet 'mons, but ain't none of that I could've done on my own. I'd rather die fightin' in some far-flung corner of the world that live scrounging up dead grass back in Route 1, got it?" he nuzzled her hand as she reached up to pet his beak. "It's worth it, Saylee. All of it. It has to be. Make it worth all of their lives."

"I will," Saylee said, standing up and taking off her glasses so she could wipe her eyes. Carrie patted her arm and stepped forwards to pray for them. Hernan and Paul stood behind her, heads bowed. Miranda was too large for the crowded grave room, but Saylee held out her pokéball so that she, too, could pay her respects. "I'll start at Cinnabar. That was where the Master Ball was commissioned from, after all. For all I know, it was commissioned by Giovanni. Even he might not know, going by the date of the letter..."

"But first, I think we could all do with some downtime," Blue said, clapping a hand onto her shoulder. "C'mon. You promised your mum you'd be back home for a while. I'm to make sure you don't run off again, especially to a lump of nothing like Cinnabar."

"Said goodbye to Rick?" Saylee asked. Blue nodded.

"And a couple of others," he said. "You're not the only one that loses them sometimes. Get moving." He headed back down the rough stairs, pulling out Pete's pokéball.

"Come on, then," Saylee said, returning everyone except Chaz. "Let's go home."

{}

Saylee was astonished by how much Pallet had changed. There was a spring of clean water replacing the murky beach as a prime water source, several full and complete houses, and Oak's roof had been completed. Everyone looked significantly better-fed, too. It had been like this once before, after Red left. There had been decent food and money enough to start building permanent dwellings.

"_Now there's two of us_," Saylee thought. "_Three, if I can get Red back._"

"Your Harry and Polly get along really well with Elena's daughter," Saylee's mother said, handing her a couple of sandwiches. "Eat up, sweetie, you've earned it. Anyway, I think she wants to travel like you someday."

"It would be good if she could do it for fun," Saylee said, watching the little girl in question splashing around in the clean water with her Horsea and Poliwag. "And I'll admit, Miranda's so fantastic that I don't know if I'll ever need to train them. It's still pretty dangerous out there, though. And Pallet still needs so much support."

"Well, there was a lovely girl from Celadon who showed us how they build their greenhouses," her mother said happily, "and as soon as we have the space to spare, we'll start building one. Won't that be lovely? You and Blue won't have to go anywhere again..."

"I do still have places to go, Mum," Saylee said quietly. "I have leads to Red and Giovanni. I have to follow them."

"I got a deal for you, then," Blue said, sitting down next to the pair of them. He was clearly fleeing Daisy, who had been fussing endlessly over both him and Saylee since they returned, trying to brush their hair and push them into daily baths now that they had a constant supply of clean water. "I'll start checking out that route to the west, see if I can't find anything about Red. You check out Cinnabar, see if you can't find leads to Giovanni. You're the only one who's ever kicked his ass, so you've gotta be the one to go after him and bring him down once and for all." He glanced at Carrie, who was chatting with Elric and Flo. "Well, I figure your Marowak wants to kick his ass even harder than you do. Just don't be a moron and let him get away this time, got it?"

"Only if you promise to chew Red out for worrying us as much as you chew _me_ out," Saylee shot back. "And that's _if _you find him first. I'll probably have to come rescue _both_ of you after beating the crap out of Giovanni."

"Where is Cinnabar?" her mother asked. "I haven't heard of the town before, and we used to travel all over."

"It's an island to the south of here," Saylee said, pulling out her map. "Not that far to surf. I don't know if anybody lives there, though."

"Gramps' records say something about a lab there," Blue put in, "but I don't know if anybody's crazy enough to live there. Supposed to just be a big bare rock now."

"All the more reason for Giovanni to hide out there, if he'd be there alone," Saylee pointed out. "At the very least, that old lab might still be there. I might be able to find out what they wanted that Master Ball for."

"Why're you so obsessed with that weird thing?" Blue asked, frowning. "It's gone now, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I guess it just unsettles me," Saylee admitted. "Who wanted a pokéball like that and why... I'd like to know. I'd like to think it was just some greedy, power-hungry psycho like Giovanni who didn't like his pawns having minds of their own."

"What else could it be?" Blue said. "What would any half-decent trainer need complete, mindless control over a Pokémon?"

"I shouldn't think any half-decent trainer would," Saylee's mother said firmly. "Your Pokémon are such sweet things, Saylee, I can't imagine anyone wanting to wipe all of that away!" She got up to go check on a vat of stew that was bubbling for everyone's dinner. Saylee looked at Blue, half suspicious and half grateful.

"Thanks for not trying to stop me this time," she said. Blue shrugged.

"You're going anyway, 'cause you're a stubborn idiot," he said. Saylee bit back a retort about pots and kettles. "So if I want to help— which I do, despite you being a moron— I might as well play nice. This way, we can get all this over and done with before winter, with any luck. Once you and Red are both back in Pallet, I can knock your heads together to warm them all winter."

"I appreciate it," Saylee said sarcastically, but she laughed. It was good to completely have her best friend back.

{}

"Is that it?" Miranda said. Saylee stirred from her half-doze, cradled behind the crest on Miranda's huge head, and looked out at the island that they were approaching. They'd passed several smaller ones on their surf south, but this one was dominated by a huge mountain and Saylee could make out the shapes of a few scattered buildings around the base.

"Looks like it," she confirmed. "That has to be Cinnabar."

"It looks deserted," Miranda said. "I saw a couple of fiery Pokémon run away, but I don't think I can see any humans."

"None?" Saylee squinted through her glasses, but they were still too far away for her to see anything. "I don't know if anyone's living there. I don't know if you _could_. I can't see any vegetation. There wouldn't be a lot of food."

"What do we do if nobody's there?" Miranda asked.

"Look around the buildings," Saylee said. "We might be able to find the remnants of the lab that ordered the Master Ball. And we have to search every building for Giovanni. He's got to be lying low, if he's there."

Saylee could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rise as they approached the shore. She looked around, scanning up and down the ashy shore, but she couldn't see what was making her so uncomfortable. Miranda was also acting nervous, as well. Saylee returned her and immediately let out Carrie, Chaz and Pedro, all of whom reacted unhappily to the oddness in the air. Saylee thought she could hear a faint whine on the edge of her hearing...

"We shouldn't stay here long," Carrie said quietly. Saylee nodded.

"C'mon, let's search the place quickly and get out of here," she said, walking quickly towards the ruined buildings. She felt a little better when she was off the beach, but the entire island made her uncomfortable. She picked up Hernan and Paul's pokéballs. "We'll split up, spread out, and if you see anybody, come get the rest of us _immediately._ Nobody try to take on Giovanni alone, got it?" She looked pointedly at Carrie and Hernan. "Carrie, come with me. Hernan, you go with Paul, Pedro and Chaz, take to the skies. Everybody good with that?"

"You got it, doll," Pedro said. There was a chorus of agreements and everyone split off to search.

{}

"So, what do you think of Hernan?" Saylee said, peering around a door that Carrie had broken down. It was an empty shop. There were baskets of mulch that was probably once fresh food as well as some plastic packages of food. Saylee checked the bags. The old dating system wasn't used anymore, but she knew enough about it to tell that the food wasn't slated to expire for another five years. She put some of it in her bag, quietly promising herself that she would forage extensively before trying any of it.

"He's a powerful warrior," Carrie said nonchalantly. "I sparred with him in Pallet Town. He's pretty clever, for a fighting-type."

"Sorry I didn't send you out with him," Saylee said. "But both of you are liable to be a little... volatile around Giovanni, and I would like him alive, at least for a bit."

"It's no problem," Carrie said quickly. "Makes perfect sense. Why would it be a problem?"

"I didn't say there was a problem," Saylee said with a grin. Carrie walked behind the counter, peering around and pointedly not looking at Saylee.

"Fine," she said. "There's a hole in the wall back here. Somebody's been coming in and out of it. I thought someone must have been in here. The dust on the floor's stirred up."

"You're right," Saylee said, looking down. She hadn't looked at the floor, being a bit distracted by the astoundingly still-edible food. She looked around, trying to find footprints. The dust was thick and dark in the corners, but most of the floor was quite thinly-strewn. "Whoever's been in here has been in her a lot, though. Someone's been here before Giovanni."

"I can't believe that there's still someone living on this island," Carrie said. Saylee joined her behind the counter and crouched down to look through the hole. A human adult would have to crawl through it; maybe it was a Pokémon.

Through the hole she could see a large, dilapidated building that was roughly the same size and shape as Professor Oak's laboratory. She took out the letter that she had taken from Silph. It was addressed from the Cinnabar Laboratory.

"Let's check it out," she said, crawling through the hole outside.

{}

Shattered glass was scattered all around the laboratory. All of the windows had been blown out from the inside, a long time ago. The entry door was blown off of its hinges.

"Saylee," Carrie said quietly, "people died here."

Saylee nodded, peering nervously into the building. There was a kind of entry room, with another smashed-out door at the back leading down a collapsed hallway. Saylee tried to climb over some of the rubble, but some of it was still unstable. The ceiling was blown out as well; she could see grey sky above.

"We'd better find Pedro or Chaz," she said. "They could fly us in."

"I'll go out front and try to signal him," Carrie said. Standing outside, she flung her bone club straight up into the air, catching and tossing it again and again. Saylee looked around the front room. All of the furniture had been knocked over by the shockwave from whatever had exploded in the lab and lay on its side.

Sifting through the debris, Saylee found some paperwork recording who entered and left the lab, and when. There seemed to have been people working there 24 hours a day. She took note of the names; Blaine, Katsura, Quinn, Avery, Fuji...

"_Fuji_?" Saylee wondered, digging through some more paperwork. Underneath the overturned desk was a framed photograph with the glass shattered. Carefully pushing the glass aside, she was surprised to see a much younger Mr Fuji. He was wearing a white coat similar to Professor Oak's and had hair. In the photo with him was another man in a white coat and magnificent moustache. Saylee didn't recognize him.

"Saylee!" Chaz called from outside. "What is this place?"

"I'm not sure," Saylee said, dropping the photograph and stepping outside. "A lab. I think this was the place that commissioned the Master Ball. C'mon, I need to see it from above. The corridor's fallen in completely."

From above, the lab seemed to be centred around a huge crater. The ash that was thinly spread across the rest of the island was concentrated thickest in a ring around the destroyed lab. Saylee's bag started to shake as they flew over the epicentre. Opening it, she found that the ruckus was being caused by the spoon and coins, as she'd expected. Daisy's coin and the coin that Sabrina had given her as a farewell present were spinning around each other. The spoon was shivering violently as they hovered over the centre of the destruction.

"Wouldn't that mean that this was caused by huge amounts of psychic power?" Carrie said, looking at the shivering items.

"It must be," Saylee said. She yelped as the items began to heat up. "Ahhh, Chaz, we'd better get away from it!"

"Got it!" Chaz flew away from the lab and the items calmed down. Pedro was flying towards them from the volcano.

"On the edge of the volcano!" He called. "I found somethin'!"

"So did we," Chaz said, looking back at the ruined lab. "Any signs of life in yours?"

"Actually, yeah," Pedro said, turning and flying away. "C'mon!"

{}

It was a huge, crumbling house, built on the slope of the volcano. Looking down, Saylee could see Rattata fighting with each other around the outer wall, while several Growlithe pups were visible through grumbling holes in the roof and upper walls. She knew that fire-types, like Growlithe, could survive on charcoal and other fuel substances, though it wasn't the best for their health and didn't give them long lifespans. Probably they also ate the Rattata.

"Saw a Rapidash, too," Pedro said. "Haven't seen any others around, though, just the one."

"Don't they run in herds?" Saylee said, reading the Pokédex entry. "And they graze. There's no vegetation here." She frowned. "I wonder why not? You'd think all of the ash around here would make the land extremely fertile."

"Some kind of psychic fallout?" Carrie said. "Psychic powers are very subjective to the person who has them. They could have any number of effects. A blast of negative power could stop plants from growing." She looked back at the destroyed lab. "Whatever happened there certainly wasn't positive."

"Rapidash wasn't a Pokémon that I've seen Giovanni use," Saylee mused, "and it doesn't seem his style. They take a long time to raise. But it can't be native to this area. Its trainer might be down there. They might know something about what happened here."

"They might've been _involved_ in what happened here," Chaz warned. "We'd better get Hernan and Paul too."

"Pedro, can you go find them?" Saylee asked. "We'll wait for you at the entrance to the building."

{}

{}

_Getting these chapters out erratically because pure fear has actually motivated me to get some work done this week. I can't wait for summer. Sitting in the sun playing Pokémon and writing is all I want from this summer :D And then this fall, Pokémon Black and White 2! I don't know about you, but I'm very excited :D I like the new girl's design (love the Leia/Sailor Moon hair XD) though I think the boy could use work (WTF happened to his head?). The rival looked like a proper douche to start with (which YAY I MISSED) but trailers make it look like this is not so. The new gym leaders look cool, too. It's too bad that that badass looking rocker chick is a poison leader, given that poison sucks. The new water dude's pretty hot, though 3_

_I'm liking the post-apocalyptic look, too :D Kyurem is bringing an iiiiice age! Please let us beat in Ghetsis' face once and for all. Oh please, oh pretty please :D_

_Because it was requested after the previous chapter, here is my current team:_

_Chaz— Charizard. My starter. Very protective of Saylee, determined to stick with her until they find Red and Ben (Red's Bulbasaur)_

_Pedro— Pidgeot. Second Pokémon and total bro to Chaz._

_Miranda— Gyarados. Really quite sweet and helpful despite her species._

_Carrie-Marowak. Badass. Wants Giovanni's head on a stick for what happened in Lavender._

_Hernan— Hitmonchan. New teammate, last surviving warrior of the Saffron Dojo. Also wants Giovanni's head on a stick._

_Paul— Raichu. Newest teammate. Starving streetfighter._

_Blue's Pokémon include Sam, his female Blastoise; Pete the Pidgeot, who has a minor rivalry with Pedro; Adam the Alakazam, one of his strongest; Gary the Growlithe, soon to be an Arcanine; and Edgar the Exeggutor, who evolved with the Leaf Stone that would have been Olivia's._

_Hope that clears things up :)_

_I wandered all over while training and caught a bunch of non plot relevant Pokémon. Except for one, who will only become relevant so much later that nobody probably cares._

_Name: Terry. Species: Tentacool. Nature: Hasty. Liquid Ooze._

_Name: Toby. Species: Tangela. Nature: Mild. Ability: Chlorophyll._

_Name: Kaito. Species: Kabuto. Nature: Lax. Ability: Battle Armour._

_Name: Kyle. Species: Koffing. Nature: Adamant. Ability: Levitate._

_Name: Gary. Species: Golbat. Nature: Rash. Ability: Inner Focus._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	34. Chapter 34

_Pokémon: 16 Deaths: 16_

Saylee's head was _pounding_. Stars were flashing behind her eyes, and her ankle was _killing_ her. Her glasses were cutting into her cheek, too, pressed between her face and the floor. She reached up to straighten them, though every muscle hurt. She could feel damp, but she tried not to panic. It could be sweat. It was _boiling_.

She slowly cracked her eyes open. It was dark, so it didn't hurt to open them fully.

It wasn't pitch-black; vague patches of light were filtering down from the roof. Or was it the floor? They seemed to be in a semi-collapsed basement. The walls and floor were black stone, and it was swelteringly hot. Where the hell _were_ they?

_A new Pokémon was discovered deep in the jungle._

Saylee rubbed her head. Jungle? What jungle?

As her eyes accustomed further to the gloom, she was horrified to see two limp figures slumped against the rubble nearby. She tried to get up to run over to them, but a bolt of agony shot down her ankle. She had to crawl instead.

_We christened the newly discovered Pokémon MEW._

It wasn't Mew, whatever it was. It was Hernan and Carrie. Hernan managed to raise his head as Saylee approached, but Carrie didn't move.

"Saylee," he croaked. The scar on his face had opened up and was bleeding. "Carrie's very badly hurt. Please, return her."

"I have her pokéball," Saylee said, checking her belt. To her horror, Carrie's pokéball had fallen off, along with Hernan's, Paul's, and Chaz', but some groping around on the dark floor found all four scattered around.

"You're hurt, too," Saylee said. She put away Carrie's pokéball and reached for Hernan's, but he shook his head.

"You're hurt, Saylee," he said. "You can't walk. And you have no pokéball to keep yourself safe in. Who will protect _you_?"

"Thanks, Hernan, but you don't look up to walking yourself," Saylee said. "I'll be fine. I've got Miranda right here." She tossed and caught the water-type's pokéball. "I'm not sure where Chaz, Pedro and Paul are, though... their pokéballs were empty..."

_After many failed experiments, we finally have a viable genetic sample._

"They didn't fall with us," Hernan said. "They were in a different room while the three of us were reading the diary."

_We christened the newborn MEWTWO._

"Diary..." Saylee muttered, beginning to remember. They had been reading the diary, and the weak floor had fallen in. She hadn't noticed that the floor hadn't been stable because she'd been engrossed in reading about...

_Mewtwo is far too powerful. We have failed to curb its vicious tendencies..._

"Mewtwo," she said. Hernan nodded, wincing as the movement aggravated the cut across his face.

"It must have been what destroyed that laboratory," he said. "The diary said that it was dangerous and powerful. It might have been a psychic. Have you heard of it?"

"No... the Pokédex didn't have anything about a Mewtwo," Saylee said, taking the device in question out of her pocket and frowning at the blank screen. She pressed a few buttons, but nothing happened. "Damn... I must have landed on it." She rubbed her eyes, trying to remember. There had been a sketch of Mew in the book. "Although... it sounds like a fairy tale my mum used to tell me when I was little. About a little Pokémon like a baby that would only appear to the pure of heart and protect them. She said it would sometimes appear to children and steal their toys." Saylee smiled. "She couldn't remember where she'd heard it, but somehow the fairytale stuck. We loved hearing that one. We didn't exactly have any toys, but Red sometimes tried to make something nice in the hope that the little Pokémon would appear just to steal it."

"This is your brother?" Hernan asked. "Carrie told me about him. I had a brother. You wouldn't think we were brothers; we evolved differently. He was a Hitmonlee." He wiped some blood from his face. "I searched the rubble for him and his pokéball, but it was gone. I wonder what happened to him. I wonder if he's alive somewhere..."

"We'll look for him too," Saylee promised. "Both of our brothers. But to do that, both of us have to get out of here." She raised Hernan's pokéball. "No arguments. You're bleeding a lot and it's clearly making you groggy. I don't want you to get hurt worse. If anything comes up before the others find us, I'll use Miranda."

"Chaz and Pedro will no doubt be tearing the building apart to find you anyway," Hernan said with a faint smile. Saylee nodded and returned him. It left her alone in the dark, but Hernan was right; she was confident that Chaz and Pedro were looking for her. She couldn't help hoping that they would find her soon. Her ankle was agony, and she was lonely. She didn't want to let Miranda out until she had to; Miranda was huge, and the basement was pretty poky. She also worried about how the water-type would bear up in the terribly hot space. She groped around in the dark for her hat, which was a little squashed but there, and began fanning herself with it.

{}

Saylee had dozed off in the heat when a ball of fire caught her eye. She peered at it, but her glasses were fogged up.

"Chaz?" she called, but he didn't respond. She took her glasses off and wiped them, looking again at the fire, and feeling a swooping sensation of disappointment that it wasn't Chaz. It was a Ponyta.

"A Ponyta?" she said, confused. Pedro had seen a Rapidash before. Had he mistaken it? Pedro's eyesight was normally better than that...

"Your nose was right again, it's another human!" The Ponyta called. A Growlithe pup ran next to it.

"Told ya!" It barked. "What's a human doing here? No humans 'cept the old man around here!"

"I didn't think there was any _left_," the Ponyta responded. "I hoped not, anyways. The old man was terrified of 'em. Said they'd know."

"Know what?"

"How the hell should I know? Get your dad. He could probably eat her up in one gulp. Best thing for it, really."

"Wait," Saylee called, but the Growlithe had already run off into the darkness. The Ponyta stopped several metres away from her and eyed her curiously. "I need to find my friends. If you don't want me here, that's fine, I'll leave as soon as I find them. Only, I can't walk..."

"Then how're you gonna find your friends?" The Ponyta asked. Saylee scowled.

"You _could_ help me," she said. The Ponyta pawed at the ground.

"Why?" he said. "Only human I trust is the old man, and I only trust him 'cause Pyralis does. Got no reason to trust or help you, and the old man'll freak out if he sees you. Gough's dad might feel different, though, guess I'll leave it up to him."

He fell silent, wandering around and striking his diamond-hard hooves against the stone floor. Saylee was glad that he was keeping away from her. She'd read about Ponyta before— she was particularly fond of fire-types— and their flames were harmless to anybody that they trusted, but would severely burn anyone that they didn't. Most fire-types with an external flame had similar control. She'd tripped over Chaz' tail once and while it had felt hot, she hadn't been burned. Ponyta and their evolution Rapidash were by far the most extreme. A trusted rider wouldn't feel their flames at all. Someone not trusted would burn to death in moments.

"_Chaz, Pedro, where are you_?" she thought feverently. "_Paul, even. He's good at getting through small spaces, he could probably burrow down here no trouble..._"

She wished that it wasn't so overheated. Gough's dad had to be an Arcanine, and she knew from Blue's Gary that they put out vast amounts of body heat. She'd probably be able to feel him coming if the room wasn't so overheated already. Why _was_ it so damn hot?

"_It's built on the side of the volcano,_" she realised. "_It's active. Or dormant, maybe? Bloody hell, we must be right over a magma chamber or something..._" she'd read about volcanoes, too. There'd been books about all sorts in Oak's lab. But she'd never seen or been near one before. She was suddenly very frightened. They were supposed to be very volatile, and could go off any time. She didn't know how to predict if they were going to explode, or even if you could predict it. She tried to tell herself that it was an irrational fear and that this volcano had probably been bubbling away like this for years. She was sure that Pallet was close enough to tell if it had ever gone off. It was probably stable, and she really ought to be worrying more about the irrational and insane Pokémon trying to protect someone who was sounding madder every time they spoke of him.

Her memory chose a singularly inappropriate time to throw up the fact that the longer volcanoes went between eruptions, the more dangerous they were. Judging by the age of the stone used to build this mansion, it had been a very long time indeed since this one had last erupted.

She slowly laced her fingers around Miranda's pokéball. They'd smash their way out, if they had to. Between the mad Pokémon and the volcano, she was very, very scared.

There was another flame. She didn't have to wipe off her glasses to tell that it wasn't Chaz. The external flame was too large.

"You! You've come for me at last, eh?!"

{}

"That's it, I'm digging down," Chaz said, digging his claws frantically into a half-collapsed beam. Pedro grabbed him painfully by the wing. "Get off! We have to get her out! She could be dying!"

"And collapsin' the rest of the place sure isn't gonna help!" Pedro said sharply. "Calm the hell down! Never seen _you_ this worked up." Chaz backed away from the collapsed flooring. "Look, there's something under there. Some kind of chamber. So there has to be a way down there _somewhere,_ right? We just gotta find it and hope it's big enough to fit your huge ass down."

"Maybe the bloke what lives 'ere knows the way down," Paul said, scurrying up to them. Chaz and Pedro looked down at him in confusion.

"What bloke?" Pedro asked. Paul dropped a book at their feet.

"Found another of them things Saylee an' the others was lookin' at," he said. "Got the fresh smell of human all over it. Ain't Saylee. Dunno what it says, got all those human squiggles inside, but maybe it's got somethin' about the way down?"

"Give it here, I learned to read a little from Saylee and the Professor," Chaz said, picking up the book. It was huge and thick and fell open at the most recently used page. Pedro and Paul were both watching him expectantly, but he couldn't bring himself to read it aloud.

"What's it _say_, genius?" Pedro pressed. Chaz shook his head.

"The handwriting's a bit messed up, but what I can make out is... insane," he said. "Just... ranting." He delicately flipped back several more pages. "It's all the same. The same ranting about finishing it. Trying again. Power over life and death. It's just disjointed rambling." He began flipping through larger chunks. The writing was a little better further back, and sentences were more coherent. "Okay, it looks like he was a scientist at the lab. They were making something... changing something..." he frowned. "They had some kind of baby Pokémon... and they were changing it? Making it stronger? Something like that." He flipped back through a few more pages. The entries were very repetitive, just deteriorating in how much sense they made in more recent entries.

"Great sodding Seaking," Paul muttered. "Bloke sounds completely off 'is nut."

"So was what they made," Chaz said, unable to keep sheer horror out of his tone. "The books says they got it wrong, that its mind wasn't right. It's hard to figure out, the writer's mainly ranting about how they'll "get it right next time". It was as powerful as they wanted, but uncontrollable."

"Guess they're the ones that wanted that Master Ball thing," Pedro said. "Only way to control it, maybe?"

Chaz started counting as he flicked back. The entries weren't numbered or dated in any way, but taking a guess that there was one entry a day, the huge book seemed to contain roughly fifteen years' worth of memories.

"It goes all the way back to when memory stops," he muttered. "And the first few entries are the only ones that mention other people." He stared. "Fuji?"

"The old guy from Lavender? What about him?" Pedro asked. Chaz tapped at the page with his claw.

"He's mentioned here," he said. "Saylee found an old photo of him in the remains of the lab. Says he was the only other survivor. They'd both been down in the basement of this place. Good grief... it's built between _magma chambers_." He shook his head. "Insane. But they felt it. The... explosion... of psychic power... it says it changed both of them. Talks about Fuji being weak and crying about seeing the spirits of the dead. And the other people in the town were angry at them... blamed them... attacked the house... Fuji ran away, but the writer..." His expression darkened. "It says they tried to kill him, or her. And the writer talks about burning. A few entries later, it says that he or she is the only living human on Cinnabar Island." He looked up. "So there's someone living here, but they're insane, and seeing other humans make them murderous." He chucked the book aside. "We've got to find the way down there, _now_. You're right, we can't smash our way in. If it's between magma chambers and we set those off, even I'm not going to survive that heat."

"Oi, pipsqueak," Pedro said to Paul, "you said you could smell a human's scent all over the book, right? Can you follow that scent?"

"Dunno, 's all over the shop," Paul said, sniffing at the air. Chaz grabbed him and lifted him up in the air.

"Try," he snarled. "Find the freshest. Find where it's strongest, maybe they go down there a lot. Just _find it_, understand?"

"Alright, mate, I'm going!" Paul squawked, wriggling out of Chaz' grip and dropping to the floor. "Keep your horns on!"

"What the hell did it mean by "burning", anyway?" Pedro asked Chaz as they followed Paul down the hall. "The magma?"

"I don't know," Chaz said. "I don't care. But burning's what's gonna happen to the writer of that diary if they've harmed a hair on _my_ trainer's head."

{}

{}

_Another chapter, so soon? What is this witchcraft?! Well, this was a fun and plot-important section to write, so yeah. Also, I have two essays, a presentation and a portfolio to not do because I'm a bad person :D Can you blame me? There's only so much Lacan you can read before you start seeing Phallic symbology everywhere._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	35. Chapter 35

_Pokémon: 16 Deaths: 16_

"Get out of here, Gough!" the huge Arcanine roared. It only managed to avoid the next blast of water itself with a quick dodge. Arcanine and Rapidash were both fast, but they were also trying to protect their sons, and Saylee would feel bad about exploiting that if their trainer wasn't clearly batshit insane.

"Here to stop me, are you?" the old man shrieked. He was completely bald but had a long white moustache. He was wearing dark, cracked glasses. Saylee wondered how he could see through them. He seemed to be able to see her, or at least sense her presence somehow, because he'd started screaming wildly the second he looked at her and kept pointing at her where she crouched behind Miranda.

The entire room was damp now as Miranda sprayed blasts of water at her four fiery foes. Saylee was a little reluctant to hurt them— extinguishing Chaz' external flame would kill him, and while she wasn't sure that the same held true for Ponyta and Rapidash, she didn't want to risk it— but they were clearly insane and set on killing her. She'd already ordered Miranda not to hold back.

One of the far walls cracked slightly under another blast from Miranda. Hot air blew through it. Gough and his father both wagged their tales inadvertently at the heat. Miranda roared. Saylee touched her side and felt it uncomfortably dry. In this heat, she was having a hard time staying hydrated.

"Saylee!"

"Chaz?!" Saylee screamed, overcome with relief. A blast of blue fire came out of the darkness, washing over the Arcanine. He was unharmed but had to back off. Chaz, Pedro and Paul came running out of the dark.

"More!" the crazy old man screamed. "I will succeed, you hear me?! You will not stop me! Next time, I WILL SUCCEED!"

"Shut it!" Pedro yelled, flying straight at him. Both Pidgeot and Rapidash were immensely fast Pokémon and they began dodging and striking at each other in a blur. Paul engaged in a similar battle of speed with the Ponyta. Chaz flew over to Saylee, hidden behind Miranda, but had to dodge aside as the Arcanine sent a retaliating Fire Blast at him. It missed him and barely skimmed Miranda, hitting the half-collapsed pile of rubble behind her. Wood and stone began to rain down again.

"Saylee!" She heard Chaz call her name again before everything went black.

{}

"Son of a cinder!" Chaz swore, striking at the Arcanine. Just after he knocked it down, Miranda sent down another blast of water that took him out entirely.

"Dad!" A little Growlithe leapt at Chaz, but Paul intercepted.

"I can 'andle this bellend, go check on 'er!" he said, zapping the Growlithe. Chaz immediately turned and flew over to Miranda, who was seriously ailing in the overheated room and was having a hard time moving a collapsed beam of wood. Chaz dug his claws in and yanked it away, settling over Saylee's prone form. She was unconscious, but she was still radiating body heat. She was alive.

"That's it," Miranda mumbled, "it's too hot. I need water."

"If I can find your pokéball, we could carry you out to the sea..." Chaz said, looking over the pokéballs on Saylee's belt and trying to identify which was Miranda's, but she shook her head.

"No," she said. "I'm bringing the sea here. I can smell it now, now the roof's opened up. We're surrounded by it, on this little island. I can call it here."

"You can do that?" Chaz asked. Saylee had mentioned, back when Miranda was a little Magikarp, that the older and more powerful Gyarados were supposed to have powers over the sea. Miranda probably wasn't _that_ old, by Gyarados standards, but she was certainly powerful.

"I think so," Miranda said, rearing up. Chaz nodded and picked up what he was sure was Paul's pokéball. He still wasn't in complete control of his electricity, so if a vast amount of water was flooded into the room and he sparked by accident, everyone, especially Miranda and Saylee, would be electrocuted.

"Hey!" Pedro yelled as Paul was abruptly returned. "Chaz, what the hell?" He pulled out of the fight as the Rapidash, Ponyta and Growlithe rallied together. They were injured, but still standing.

"Chaz, you should get inside your pokéball too," Miranda murmured, beginning to sway. "It'll kill you."

"Miranda's going to flood the place," Chaz said. "Pedro, you've gotta make sure that Saylee makes it out okay. Grab her, get in the air, try not to get blasted, and get out before you both drown!"

"I'm on it," Pedro promised. Chaz lifted Saylee onto his back. There was no time to sort out the flying harness; Miranda moved to block a fire blast aimed at them, roaring in pain as a fire blast hit her dry skin. Pedro nipped Chaz on the neck, similar to the affectionate gesture that he reserved for Saylee, just before Chaz tapped the button of his own pokéball and vanished. Pedro quickly flew out of the way of another fire blast, trying to fly careful so that Saylee wouldn't slip off of his back. Miranda roared to the sky, and Pedro could hear the sound of waves. They were getting closer.

"No escape! No running away!" The crazy human on the Rapidash's back yelled, and suddenly the fire-type had jumped so high as to almost be flying itself, knocking Pedro out of his path. He hastily righted himself as he felt Saylee slip, unable to dodge another blast of fire that singed off half of the feathers on his tail.

"Get away from the hole in the ceiling!" Miranda called before roaring again. Pedro heard waves again, and this time the sound didn't stop. He backed away just as water began to pour into the room.

Miranda sighed in relief as the seawater rushed over her, but the Growlithe and Ponyta's shrieks were horrible. The water washed down in waves, leaving brief moments of clear space between waves. Pedro began timing them.

"Are you coming?" He yelled down.

"I'll swim out once it fills up," Miranda called. "You get out now!"

Pedro glanced around for the old human on the Rapidash, but he couldn't see a thing. He looked back at the hole in the ceiling and flew through the next time there was a break in the falling water.

Miranda watched him go and then stuck her own head under the hole, loving the feel of the water rushing over her. It felt healing. She didn't look for the four fire-types that had been in the room. She didn't want to see what had happened to them.

"Look at this, Melvin," she murmured. "You said I was going to be strong and now here I am, calling on the sea like one of the Old Ones." The other Magikarp that she'd shared a pond with had swapped stories of giant, ancient Gyarados that lived deep under the sea, controlling it. They'd all wanted to be that strong.

Something felt off. The water wasn't moving right. The room wasn't filling as fast as it should have. Miranda could feel a current tugging from under the water.

Ducking under, she saw the problem. The crack in the wall from before, the one that had radiated heat, was draining some of the water. The chamber on the other side must be larger than the room she was in and mostly empty.

There was a faint rumbling coming from somewhere, too. The water wasn't just draining through the crack; it was disturbed, huge bubbles starting to blossom from the crack.

The crack widened and the room shook. Miranda backed away from the crack and swam towards the hole in the ceiling. The water wasn't quite there. She stretched her neck to reach her head out of the hole, fighting against the inrush of water.

"Pedro, fly as fast as you can!" she yelled. "Get as far away as you can! Hurry!"

The earth beneath her roared. Then it exploded.

{}

Damaged furniture was starting to lift and float on the current. Pedro dodged over several pieces, flying for the huge double doors that they'd entered by. The house suddenly shook as something beneath them rumbled.

"Pedro!" he heard Miranda yell. "Fly as fast as you can! Get as far away as you can! Hurry!"

"Miranda? What about you?" he yelled, but she didn't respond. He prayed that it was because she was underwater. The house shook violently again and a huge chandelier fell from above Pedro, nearly smashing into him. He dodged as deftly as he could without dropping Saylee and made a sharp turn towards a broken window. It was just about large enough for Pedro, but he couldn't avoid broken glass ripping at his wings or the top of his crest. Just as he made it outside, the earth beneath them roared.

Then an immense blast of heat shot out of the house as it exploded. The hot air slammed into Pedro, sending him spinning out of control. He tucked his wings in, trying to arch them backwards to hold Saylee onto his back and shield her from the drops of liquid _hot_ that were starting to rain down. There was more roaring and a plume of steam shot out of where the house had been, followed by a pillar of smoke from the volcano.

It was erupting.

"Miranda!" Pedro yelled, trying to straighten himself, but he couldn't fly straight, not with the sea winds and currents of hot air fighting against each other and pulling him back and forth. There was another roar and the whole _island_ shook violently. The earth cracked beneath Pedro and sent another blast of superheated air into him, spinning him out of control.

Somewhere, somehow, during the wild spinning and desperate fighting for control, Saylee slid from his back.

"Saylee!" Pedro screeched desperately. "Doll! Where are you?!" He looked around wildly, but he couldn't tell sky from sea.

"_I'm over the sea,_" he thought wildly. "_She landed on water. She's floating somewhere. Gotta find her. Miranda'll find her, when she swims out..._"

He couldn't gain control. He couldn't fly, couldn't find Miranda, couldn't find Saylee, and he couldn't tell if he was slammed into the sea or if it reached up and grabbed him, but he was under the water, tucking in his wings and feet and trying not to drown.

"_Sorry, pal,_" he thought, tucking in his head and waiting for the sea to calm so he could try and get back to the surface. "_I dropped her... dammit... I'm sorry..._"

{}

The volcanic eruption was huge. Blue clung to the side of the mountain, digging his feet in, desperate not to fall off of the narrow ridge that he was climbing. Looking over his shoulder to the south, he could see black smoke shooting into the sky, fleck with red. He could hear the roaring.

"Shit," he gasped, seizing up. That was exactly where Saylee had gone.

"Pete!" he called out his own Pidgeot, watching the giant bird materialize over the sheer drop behind his heels. "You've got to go find out what's wrong!"

"What's wrong?" Pete asked, turning to follow Blue's pointed finger. He screeched in shock at the sight of the eruption. "Bloody—"

"Saylee was there," Blue said. "Just... fly out there and make sure that she wasn't standing on top of that fucking thing when it blew or anything. Please."

"I'll do what I can," Pete promised, flying off. Blue stared at the smoke. It was beginning to spread out from the eruption. He turned back to the mountain and started climbing along the rest of the ridge.

He'd find the first safe campground that he could, preferably a cave, and get under cover. Rain in Kanto was never entirely safe to be out in, and that smoke was probably only going to make things worse. He wanted to try and stay as close to the ridge as possible so that Pete would find him easily.

The whole way along, he prayed that Giovanni had been at the centre of the explosion and that Saylee had been nowhere near it.

Two days later, Pete returned. All he had found was Pedro, injured and floating on the waves. Saylee had been nowhere to be seen and Pedro had refused to leave until he found her. They had already found the torn and charred corpse of her Gyarados and had dragged it out to sea, letting her rest in its depths.

Blue dug into his bag and took out a grey lab pokéball. "Give him this," he said, handing it to Pete. "We don't really need him, not with Sam on the team. Saylee could do with a replacement water type. He'll probably be happy to help look for her, he'll finally get to swim in the sea."

He sat back for another wait while Pete delivered the Pokémon that he'd acquired back at Silph Co. He'd probably get along with Saylee. Pokémon tended to, even if she sometimes rubbed humans up the wrong way.

He refused to think about the possibility that Saylee would never meet Lorenzo. But he couldn't stop thinking that he should have gone to Cinnabar instead.

{}

Lavender Town was too far away from Cinnabar to feel more than a slight quiver after the eruption, but they could still see the column of black smoke punch into the sky. Mr Fuji sat and stared at it for a long time.

"Good," he whispered, over and over. "Good."

"What's good, grandfather?" his granddaughter asked. "It looks scary." From a girl who had been born and raised in Lavender Town, this was a rare comment.

"Maybe it will destroy Cinnabar," Mr Fuji said, taking his granddaughter onto his lap, "and all remnants of our accursed experiments with it."

"Experiments?" His granddaughter asked. A tear slid down the old man's cheek.

"We did a very bad thing there, sweetheart," he said softly. "We thought we were doing it for the best. But doing a bad thing for good reasons doesn't make it a good thing. There was a Pokémon, and we hurt it very badly, and if we'd succeeded, many others would have been hurt very badly. People died, anyway, because of what we did." He hugged his granddaughter close. "It hurt those of us who survived, and we deserved it." He could still remember the first moment that he'd seen them, wandering out of the rubble of the lab, still screaming their last pain. "We deserved it. I only wanted to stop more people from dying. So it told me to look after the dead." He had never needed a Silph Scope to discern the form and nature of ghosts. He never would.

"A Pokémon hurt you, grandfather?" the little girl asked. He nodded.

"And it changed me," he said. "Changed everyone. When I ran away, nobody else remembered the fighting. Nobody else remembered that there was anything wrong. The war ended, then and there, when it destroyed everything."

"If it stopped fighting, isn't that good?" his granddaughter asked, but Mr Fuji shook his head.

"Nobody remembered that there was anything wrong," he repeated. "Nobody else remembered what went wrong. What we did wrong. And if nobody remembers, we'll do it again, because nobody remembers that it was wrong." He chuckled sadly. "It thought it changed everyone for the better. What will it do if it turns out to be wrong?"

"What will _what_ do?" His granddaughter said, frustrated. She jumped off of his lap and glared at her grandfather, arms folded. "What are you talking about? A Pokémon?"

"The ultimate Pokémon," Mr Fuji said. "We wanted it to be all-powerful. Maybe it was. And maybe even that wasn't enough."

{}

_I have been told that I've been handing these out like candy recently. What can I say? I had a hard time with Saffron, but I've really been looking forward to writing Cinnabar because it's all plot and major happenings. And a major death._

_I don't want to talk about Miranda's ingame death. It was harsh. It was really hard losing someone that I'd had for so long. That was probably the death that hurt the worst so far. Farewell, Miranda. You did it. You became strong. I'm sorry that it wasn't enough._

_RIP Miranda the Gyarados, level 5-46._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	36. Chapter 36

_Pokémon: 15 Deaths: 17_

The first thing that Saylee heard was beeping, a steady, constant sound. It was already getting on her nerves before her higher brain functions kicked in.

She couldn't identify where she was. It was bright, too bright, and couple with her glasses being gone that made it impossible to see. She closed her eyes again and listened.

She could feel cloth around her. She was lying on something soft, the softest bed she'd ever been in. The blanket over her was warm and soft as well, except over her left leg where it was hot and scratchy. Her whole leg felt heavy. So did her right arm, which was in a sling around her neck. She could feel a bandage around her head and more around her stomach. Breathing hurt. She'd damaged her ribs, maybe. For that matter, it didn't feel like she was wearing her own clothes anymore. She was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and long pants, both made of some soft, comfortable material. They felt clean and a little stiff.

Someone had rescued her and patched her up. But who? And where was she? She could hear ocean waves...

She gasped sharply as she remembered what had happened. Falling into the basement, the fight with the insane old scientist, everything falling on her...

She felt around with her good hand for her pokéballs, but she wasn't wearing her belt anymore. She opened her eyes again, wincing at the light. The room was painted white, which she realized wasn't helping her vision any. She groped to her side and luckily, there was a table. She ran her hand across it and came across the round, smooth shape of pokéballs. She felt six. She picked up each one in turn, running her fingernails along the groove. Four were sealed shut- occupied. Two, however, popped open easily. She opened her eyes again, squinting, trying to see the colours and what they were.

There was a heavily scuffed red pokéball that felt a little different in weight to the others. Chaz'. Sealed shut. He was safe, thank goodness.

There was a blue-and-red Great Ball, also sealed. Carrie's.

Another red pokéball, this one with a large dent in it, but it still closed and sealed normally. Hernan's. She was relieved that they were both safe and hoped that she could find a healing machine for them.

A black and yellow Ultra Ball. She'd been lucky to find it and had used it to catch Paul. It was sealed.

The other two were a pokéball with random chips of gold paint all over it, remnants of a cheap paint job by a cheap charlatan, and a normal one covered in nothing but scuffs. Miranda's and Pedro's, both empty. Her stomach turned over. Were they alright? Where were they? What had happened?

She groped for her glasses, but couldn't find them. She sat up, running her hand over the bandages on her head, and was sharply surprised to feel that her hair was significantly shorter, boy-short. A couple of the fire blasts had gotten a bit close; she must've gotten singed. Or maybe they'd had to cut it shorter to bandage her head. She wasn't sure.

Who were _they?_ Who saved her? What happened to Miranda and Pedro?

Rubbing her hand over again, she dislodged some kind of wire that had been attached to her head. She could feel another couple attached to her chest and pulled them off. The irritating beeping immediately ceased. The wires were attached to some kind of machine next to her, but she couldn't make out what it was at all.

She reached for the pokéballs again, but was reluctant to let anyone out. Who had put Chaz and Paul back into their pokéballs? Why? Had they been seriously hurt, like Hernan and Carrie? If she let them out of the stasis state of pokéballs, it could kill them. She tried swinging her legs out of bed, wincing as the weight of the bandages wrapped around her left leg jolted some kind of pain to life. She looked up as someone opened the door to the room.

"Oh, darling!" A woman gasped. She looked young and a little plump with curly pink hair. "You're awake! How wonderful! Oh, but you shouldn't be up," she chastised, gently lifting Saylee's legs up onto the bed. Saylee sat back, allowing the woman to fuss over her. All of her worry and questions were making her head spin.

"I'm so glad you're finally up, darling," the woman chattered brightly. "You've been out for a good wee while, I'm afraid. We were scared we were going to lose you, when that boat brought you in, all water in your lungs and blood all over the place. Well, we got you patched back up, didn't we? Oh, and we put your Pokémon through the healer. You've got a couple of empty pokéballs on you, are you missing a couple, darling? Oh, listen to me, babbling on, you're just up."

"No, I am missing two," Saylee said. Her throat was dry and sore. "A Gyarados and a Pidgeot. Miranda and Pedro. Thank you for healing my Pokémon, and me. Where... where am I?"

"Knot Island, darling," the woman said, plumping up her pillows. Pillows? More than _one_? "A Gyarados and a Pidgeot, you say? Powerful stuff. You must be a proper strong trainer, eh?"

"We train hard..." Saylee mumbled. "Sorry... What Island?"

"Knot Island, darling," the woman repeated. "You're as west as it gets in the Islands! Where are you from then, eh? You were floating in the waters even more west of here, they said! How'd you get there? You've got a funny accent. You from the mainland?"

"Yeah... yeah, I am," Saylee said.

"Well! That's special," the woman said, clapping her hands. "We never had mainlanders out here, not for a long time. We stopped running boats out there when there was all that awful fighting, and we've gotten along just fine on our own, you know. And nobody ever came out here from the mainland, I remember when I was a little girl there was people out on holiday all the time, but for all I've known the past sixteen years there wasn't anyone else alive out there! The war could've ended everyone and we'd never know!"

"Fighting..." Saylee blinked. "Wait... you have memories that are more than fifteen years old?" Everyone was of the opinion that the memory wipe and all of the destruction had come from some kind of war, that there were definite signs of fighting, but _nobody_ could remember what. She'd never met _anyone_, except Chaz, who had any sort of memory from more than fifteen years ago, and he'd been so young and had been so few places that he hadn't had much to remember. Just that things had been greener, and the sky blue.

"Of course, darling, do I look fifteen?" the woman laughed. "I'm Joy, darling. What's your name?"

"Saylee," she said. "Thank you, so much, really, for saving me. I'm sorry, am I taking up someone's room?"

"You're in the hospital, darling," Joy said. "It's your room as long as you need it. I'll get you some food, shall I? You've been out a couple of weeks, got a nasty bump on the head, you must be starving. I'll be right back, and if you ever need me, there's a little button right here." She picked up a little pad with a single button on it. "Alright, darling?"

"Thank you," Saylee said again. Joy smiled at her and bustled away. Just as the door closed, Saylee swore as she realized that she had forgotten to ask for her glasses. She'd been too caught up in the odd things that Joy said.

She had no idea what Knot Island was, she'd never heard of it. Joy had mentioned other islands, and had said that Saylee was floating to the west of them. So these islands were somewhere to the east of Kanto.

The islands hadn't been part of the fighting. They hadn't lost their memories. The islands were far enough away that they'd escaped... _whatever_ had happened.

Whatever had happened was connected to Cinnabar Island. The man in the mansion and the other scientists had been trying to create something using a rare Pokémon, and it had backfired terribly. The man in the mansion had been driven completely insane, and Mr Fuji, who'd also been one of them... well, the man _voluntarily_ lived in Lavender Town.

Mewtwo. That had been the name in the diary. A Pokémon called Mewtwo. Powerful, and dangerous, and uncontrollable. It had to be psychic, everybody knew that it was the most powerful Pokémon element there was. That was how it could affect memories, and drive men out of their minds.

She put her good hand over her eyes. Giovanni hadn't been on Cinnabar. He'd gone to ground somewhere else. She could've gone to the Indigo area with Blue. She could be in the mountains with Blue and all six of her Pokémon instead of bandaged up with Pedro and Miranda missing.

Sighing heavily, she reached for her pokéballs.

"Saylee!" Carrie gasped. After two straight weeks in the pokéball she'd been a bit groggy when she'd first materialized, as had Hernan and Paul, but as soon as their heads had cleared they had immediately surrounded their trainer. Chaz, who'd had longer stretches inside, had immediately leaned his long neck over to nuzzle her cheek, looking a mixture of worried and utterly relieved that she was alive and safe. Carrie, Hernan and Paul clustered around a moment later, Paul leaping up onto the foot of her bed and nearly falling off of it again in a panic as he jostled Saylee's injured leg. She gave him a bright smile to reassure him that there was no harm done and tried to hug all of them at once.

"I'm so glad you're alright," she repeated over and over to Carrie and Hernan. "Paul, Chaz, are both of you okay? Were you hurt? What happened?"

"You were out for the count so we kept wailing on that nutter on the Rapidash," Paul said. "Miranda wasn't looking too good."

"She said she was going to call down the sea," Chaz said. "Paul and I had to return. The seawater rushing in would've killed me and Paul could've accidentally zapped everyone. Pedro had you, he and Miranda were going to get you out... I hope they're alright." He frowned, looking worried again. "Could anyone else smell the magma? Through that crack in the wall? The magma chambers either side of the basement were active. Magma's volatile. It's far too easy to set off, and when you do..."

Carrie, Hernan and Paul all stared blankly at him. "Not all of us know all about fire and magma, Chaz," Hernan said patiently. "What happens?"

"It all forces its way out. It explodes," Chaz said. "And then it rains fire."

"But Miranda was pouring seawater in there," Paul pointed out. "That'd cool it off, right?" Chaz shook his head.

"Power over magma is the very strongest fire power," Chaz explained. "Because magma is as hot as it gets. Too hot to be cooled down by water. It just boils it. It turns it into steam. Masses and masses of steam in a small place mean pressure. Pressure means an explosion..."

"But Saylee'd be dead if she was still in there, then, wouldn't she?" Carrie said. "If magma is as hot as it gets, and if we were that close to the explosion, Saylee wouldn't be here."

"This woman Joy said that I was found floating in the middle of the ocean," Saylee said. "Miranda and Pedro must have gotten me some way away first. So they must have gotten out, too... but they're not in their pokéballs..."

"They'll be alright," Chaz insisted, sounding ashamed of how his pronouncement of how lethal magma was had upset the others. "Pedro and Miranda are tough, and they're smart. They're probably out there looking for us right now."

"They'll find us soon," Carrie agreed. "Until then, you need to rest! You've broken your leg, and two of your ribs, and you've fractured three more, your arm and your skull! That's a lot of bone that needs to mend!"

"We could have a gander at this place for you," Paul offered. "Take turns going for a wander and find out what's what, y'know?"

"That would be great," Saylee agreed with a smile. "Apparently, this is Knot Island. Joy's going to come back with food soon, I'll ask her if it's okay for you to wander around. Also, I'm going to have to ask her for a new set of glasses. Mine seem to have been lost somewhere. And my hat." She rubbed her hair. "I _liked_ that hat."

"Oh, your hair's shorter!" Carrie said. "I'm sorry, I didn't notice."

"Well, she's the only one with hair, ain't she?" Paul pointed out. "'S still long compared to the rest of us."

"I think it suits you," Hernan ventured. "You are strong. Humans are best to keep short hair, my master said, because in battle long hair is a hindrance. It gets in the way, it can be pulled by opponents fighting dirty. You look like a warrior now."

"I'm not a warrior," Saylee said, stroking her short hair self-consciously. "I don't go into battle like you guys do."

"You go into battle with us," Chaz said, crouching down to rest his head next to her arm. "And you see to it that we're safe when it's all over. We all do that for each other."

"That is what comrades do," Hernan agreed.

"It's what friends do," Chaz added.

"It's what _family_ does," Carrie corrected softly.

"You look out for your own, whatever you call 'em," Paul said firmly. Saylee wanted to cry, but she just reached out one-handedly to them.

"Well!" Joy said, bustling in with a large bowl of soup. "It's busy in here, isn't it?"

{}

"I wonder what they think happened," Saylee said that evening. They'd spent the day relaxing in her room together. Hernan had told them about training with his brother, told them all about the other fighting-types and humans that they'd trained with, and showed them some basic punching techniques. Saylee had gotten quite good at a left straight. Chaz had tried some too, but his arms weren't well-muscled. They weren't his primary weapons, and he wasn't suited to using them in close combat for anything but grabbing and gripping. Paul's attempts at the punch, with his stubby, jointless arms, very quickly turned into a comedy routine. Carrie was the only one of the Pokémon who took well to it, her arms already strong from slinging her bone around. Hernan was a foot and a half taller than her, so he had to stoop somewhat for them to try boxing exercises on each other, but they managed quite well. Joy had brought them all dinner, happy to feed the Pokémon and insisting that there was plenty. She'd also promised that a man would come in tomorrow to fix Saylee up with a new pair of glasses. Until, squinting and the fact that her Pokémon all had dark-coloured bodies that showed up well against the white wall were working well enough.

Saylee was sitting over the empty bowl. It had been like a fuller, thicker version of the stew her mother sometimes made, when she could get ingredients. "I wonder what they think happened to me," she said. "They must've been expecting me back long before now. Blue's probably gone and found Red while I've been out, and the two of them have been sitting around and wondering where I've been the past two weeks..." she frowned, a thought striking her. She started counting in her head.

"Saylee?" Chaz asked. Saylee looked up at him.

"I think it's my birthday tomorrow," she said quietly. "It's half a cycle before winter. When we went to Cinnabar, we still had a whole cycle to go..."

"Your birthday?" Hernan asked. "How old will you be?"

"Sixteen," she said. "Bloody hell, I should've realized. Joy said it was all sixteen years ago. I was born a couple months after." She smiled. "We celebrate Red and Blue's birthdays, and Daisy's, on the same day, because we really don't know exactly when they were born. We'd all sing together, a stupid little song we made up."

"If you want to sing it to us, we'll sing it to you tomorrow," Chaz suggested.

"We will?" Paul said, looking at him like he was crazy. Saylee giggled.

"_Happy birthday to you,_

_And you, and you too,_

_We're none of us dead yet,_

_We'll make another year through!"_

"Cheerful," Paul snarked. Carrie thwacked him on the head with her bone club.

"Well, humans aren't exactly the toughest creatures around," she said. "They ought to be proud of every year they make."

"How old are the others?" Hernan asked. "Your brother, and Blue, and Daisy?"

"Red's nineteen, probably," Saylee said, appreciating his use of the present tense. "Blue'll be seventeen. Daisy's about twenty. Six cycles from now is the birthday for all of the adults. All of the kids younger than me were born after, so we know the day they were born." She ran her hand through her hair for the billionth time that day, still unused to the shorter feel. "Before Mewtwo mindwiped everyone." It was the first time that she'd said it aloud, but all of the evidence in the lab and the diaries that Saylee and Paul had found was that Mewtwo's escape had coincided with the moment that memory vanished. Huge amounts of psychic power could affect someone's mind; Sabrina's own power turning in on herself and the old man in the mansion were proof of how much damage that could do. She supposed that they were lucky that they had only lost their memories.

"It explains why everything's different," Chaz said softly. "From what I remember. The landscape looks different what I saw of it. And the Professor acted differently. He seemed pretty surprised when he first opened our pokéballs and let Ben and Sam and I out. Like he didn't know what was in there."

"What do these things do, anyway?" Paul said, flicking his table over to the bedside table to nudge a pokéball. "I seen humans carryin' 'em around a few times. They just kinda light up and when it goes down, you're somewhere else and time's passed. The spark's that all about?"

"Pokéballs put Pokémon into stasis," Saylee said. "They react to living organisms but they are built with a block to stop them taking in a human. The first time they take something in, they... "record" it so they can only take in that. Don't ask me how it really works, I'm not a tech. Anyway, stasis means what you said; no sensation of time passing, just deep sleep until the pokéball's opened again. They also record optimal status information about the Pokémon that they're linked to, so it is capable of slowly healing its inhabitant."

"Like Hernan?" Carrie said, looking up at the scarred fighter. "He said he was badly injured, but when you opened his pokéball he just had that scar."

Saylee nodded. "It's only because he was in there for years, though, and the scar's proof that it's not perfect. It's kind of a safety feature, I guess. It doesn't work on fatal injuries, though." She looked down. "Some injuries are too much to be healed. The pokéball won't even return them. Then all you've got is an empty, useless pokéball..."

Her fingers brushed over Pedro and Miranda's vacant pokéballs.

"They're safe," Chaz repeated. "They'll find us soon. And if not, we'll go out and find them, as soon as you're better."

"Too bad you can't get sucked into a ball and bunged into a healer, eh?" Paul said, curling up carefully by her feet, this time managing not to jostle her injured leg.

{}

_Don't count on updates to be as frequent as they were around Cinnabar. These terrible things called "assessments" are creeping up on me. It's like playing _Amnesia-_ I can hear them shuffling around in the dark as my sanity drains away, trying desperately to remember important things even as they slip from my brain.._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	37. Chapter 37

_Pokémon: 15 Deaths: 17_

The sky was blue.

Chaz had mentioned before that the sky used to be blue, but Saylee hadn't imagined such a bright, vibrant shade. She had to shield her eyes from it and the impossibly bright glow of the sun, pushing her new glasses down her nose. The woman who had built them for her had sat with her for half an hour, holding different pieces of glass in front of her eyes until she could clearly read a piece of paper tacked to the wall across the room. She had refused to be paid for it, telling Saylee that the hospital paid her to make sure that all of the elderly people living in the area had the glasses that they needed. It seemed that a lot of the elderly people in the islands moved to Knot Island.

Saylee wondered if it was because of the clean air and the bright skies, but talking to some of the local residents suggested that all of the islands were like this.

The sea was blue, too, deep and dark and clean. People's grandchildren were playing on the white sand on the beach. She had seen a nurse come out to patch up the damaged limb of a _Tentacool_.

"We don't see a lot of these out here," she explained. "When we do, they're always hurt, poor things. They only end up here if they're hurt and can't swim against the currents. The water doesn't seem to agree with them."

Tentacool were vermin, everywhere on the beaches back home. Nobody ever bothered healing them, because there were always a billion more out there. They didn't tend to be eaten, either, because they were so toxic. Janine had once told her about a dish they sometimes made in Fuchsia, after draining out all of the poison for use in weapons. Saylee had tried a bite, but it tasted disgusting.

The food here was good. It was all fluffy bread and fruit and vegetables and no meat at all. They seemed to have plenty of access to food that couldn't scream when cut, to the extent that the nurse had been utterly horrified when Saylee had brought up the matter of meat. She hadn't brought it up again; the meals were still far fuller than what she ate at home, and she seemed to be healing fine. After just four days of bed rest, she'd been allowed out on a chair with wheels.

Chaz had been wearing the flying harness when he'd been put into his pokéball, so it was still sitting around his shoulders and Saylee was beginning to eye it covetously. The paths around the island were all smooth and flat, in testament to the elderly population, but she couldn't get down to the beaches on the chair and she desperately wanted to see more of the island. There was another very close by, with a tall mountain looming over it.

"Give your ribs a couple more days, darling," Joy said when the subject was brought up. "Although it might do you a bit of good to get to Mt Ember. There's springs down the bottom, see, that are very healing. That's why all the seniors and the ill come out here, it makes them feel so much better. There's a boat that goes out every day, lets people soak for a few hours and brings them home. I'll get you on it tomorrow, alright, darling?"

"Thank you," Saylee said. "Why's it called Mt Ember?" Chaz's worrying comments about the volatility of volcanoes were fresh in her mind, and healing or not she didn't want to be anywhere near one.

"It used to be a volcano, long ago," Joy said. "Well, legends said a fiery Pokémon used to live in it, and sometimes flew out in a great plume of flame that went up to the stars, but that's awful fanciful, isn't it, darling? The stories sound like a fancy way of talking about a volcanic eruption. It hasn't gone off for centuries, though, and my dad said in his day some scientists came and said it was dead. Mind you, maybe a fiery Pokémon does live there, eh? The night before you were brought in, folks said they saw the ice Pokémon dancing in the sky."

"...I'm sorry, what?" Saylee asked, thoroughly confused.

"Sorry, darling, it's a local saying," Joy said with a smile. "Sometimes on clear nights, lights dance in the sky. The posh name for it's an "aurora", but everyone around here says it's an ice Pokémon dancing, and that all of the colours are its wings. You don't see them very often, but we saw one, the night before they brought you in. Terrible shame you missed it."

"What a shame," Saylee agreed, looking out at the vast expanse of blue between herself at home.

{}

The next day, Saylee was rolled onto the boat to Mt Ember with her Pokémon. Hernan held onto her chair to keep it steady while Paul and Carrie rode on Chaz's back next to the small boat. The patients and seniors sitting around her laughed as Chaz flew around the boat, enthralled by the huge orange Pokémon.

Saylee herself was trying to pull a shawl one-handedly over her red shoulders. She had been enjoying the clear skies and bright sunlight to go inside when she should have, and now every patch of exposed skin had burned bright red. Her left arm felt almost as stiff and sore as her right, and she was praying that these healing springs that she'd heard so much about really were that good.

She couldn't help being nervous as they drew closer to the huge, rocky mountain. There was no sign that it was anything but a rocky lump, however. She could even see people climbing it; her new glasses were much better than her old ones.

"The springs'll do you good, dear," an old woman next to her encouraged her. "It's been doing wonders for me hip for years. Couldn't still walk without it!"

"Is it heated by the mountain?" Saylee asked. The old woman nodded. "But I thought it wasn't still active."

"That's 'cause it's heated by the fire bird!" an old man across from her insisted. "It flew out here sixteen year ago and it's kept us safe ever since!"

"_Sixteen years ago... a powerful fire-type fled out here sixteen years ago_," Saylee thought, looking up at Mt Ember. "_Fleeing? From the fighting? From Mewtwo?_"

"Nurse Joy mentioned a story about an ice bird, too," Saylee said. "Said its wings made colours in the sky."

"Haven't seen them in a long time," the old woman said fondly. "Very active sixteen years ago, they were. When all those strange things happened. Fighting and auroras and the gab..."

"The gab?" Saylee asked, glancing at Hernan. He shrugged.

"The gab is what they used to say folk who could talk to Pokémon had," the old lady explained.

"But everyone can speak to Pokémon," Saylee pointed out. The old woman laughed.

"Ahh, you're too young to remember," she said. "But before all that, not many people could. If a Pidgey was twittering away outside my window, who was I to say what it was saying? Then all of a sudden, one morning, everyone wakes up and what they hear is a voice calling to a pretty feather to sit with them awhile. Walk outside and of a sudden you can hear Pokémon chatting to each other and they're all surprised that you can understand too!"

{}

"I can't remember," Chaz said with a shrug, head resting on the side of the hot tub, cut into the rock wall and filled from a spring pouring from above. He was careful to sit on the opposite side of the tub, away from the spray of the water. "I really was very little when I was first captured, and didn't spend a vast amount of time out of my pokéball. The Professor spoke to us sometimes, and we understood him, so maybe he had it. I remember that he was a very respected Professor, there were always new people in his lab hanging on his every word. Maybe that was why. He could speak to us and others couldn't." He frowned. "For that matter, I never saw Ben before the Professor let us out about fifteen years ago just to see what was in the pokéballs, and I only saw Sam once beforehand. We didn't speak. At least, I said something to her and she didn't respond. Or maybe she did, and I didn't understand."He lifted his head, shaking it in confusion.

"So different species didn't used to understand each other, and now they do," Saylee said, scooping up some of the beautifully warm water in her hand and wiping it over the sunburn on her face. She'd worried that the water was going to sting, but it felt fantastic. No pain or aches at all, except the one in her brain. "The timing... it's the same as Mewtwo's memory wipe."

"But the memory wipe didn't extend out here," Carrie pointed out. She didn't like the water any more than Chaz did, but she seemed happy enough relaxing on the warm rocks. "Why would the gab come out here and the memory wipe not?"

"And the gab seems like a positive thing, doesn't it?" Hernan added. He was the only one in the water with Saylee, washing it over the gash on his face again and again. "Memory loss is destructive. It seems fitting for an angry psychic to do something so destructive, deliberately or not. But the gab..."

"And the fire and ice birds being active," Chaz said. "That had to be in response to Mewtwo. I'll be the lightning bird was too."

"What lightning bird?" Saylee asked. Paul, who had been napping on a warm rock next to Carrie, cracked an eye open.

"Lord Zapdos?" he said. "Pissy bugger. He's the reason anybody not electric won't go a solid mile near the Plant. Can't take the 'leccy in the air."

"Okay, Paul, you're going to have to help me out here," Saylee sighed. "Who or what is Zapdos?"

"The bird of lightning," Chaz said. "I remember that the Professor had pictures of the three birds on his wall. He told me about them once, when I asked. He said that the three main elements are fire, ice and lightning, and that there are three gigantic bird Pokémon embodying each. I can't remember their names, but Zapdos rings a bell."

"Giant yellow spiky bugger, bad temper, sparks all over the place," Paul said. "Kept whinging 'bout the other two buggering off when things got bad. Never knew who they were."

"The fire and ice birds," Saylee said, rubbing her forehead. She dunked her head underwater for a moment, glorying in the soothing feel of the water. She shook her head to flick some of the water off when she surfaced. "Eurgh. I should probably stop worrying about all of this. It's nothing to do with Red or Giovanni. It'll be fun to chat with Red and Blue about a couple of years from now. Maybe we can go hiking to find the fire bird. For now, I need to start figuring out where the hell Giovanni _did_ go. Not Cinnabar. Where else would he go?"

"Who knows," Carrie said with a shrug. "Where would be safe for him to go?"

"Nowhere we have allies," Chaz suggested. "Pewter, Cerulean, Vermillion, Celadon, Fuchsia and Saffron are all out. He wasn't in Cinnabar."

"He wouldn't be welcome in Lavender or anywhere near it," Carrie said. "So where does that leave?"

"He can't be anywhere near Pallet or Viridian, or Blue would have found him," Saylee said, though a touch uneasily. It struck her that, unless Giovanni was hiding out in the deep caves or the inhospitable areas- which he couldn't possibly do for long, unless he'd built up some kind of cache there a while ago. Maybe he had, in which case Saylee had some serious scouring to do when she got home, but if he hadn't then the first place that Saylee could think of was the Indigo area... where Blue had gone.

"If Blue found him, he and Sam will have taken him out already," Chaz pointed out. "Giovanni's teams have a bad habit of being weak to water, you saw how many of them Miranda took out both times that we fought him."

"That's true," Saylee agreed, running her hand up her opposite sleeve underwater. Everyone going into the hot springs had been issued with lightweight, dark-coloured dressing gowns that were promised to dry out quickly. They didn't seem to pick up a lot of weight underwater, at least, and their dark colour meant that they didn't go see-through when soaked. There were also a couple of nurses on hand replacing bandages with waterproof wraps, which made Saylee's arm and leg feel a lot lighter than they had for days. She was loathe to get out of the water, knowing that she'd need the heavy casts back on the second the water wasn't bearing weight for her damaged limbs.

Still, she had a couple more hours until she needed to get out and get on the boat home, and some time before she could walk on her own. Maybe relaxing for a moment, resting and getting her bearings, wouldn't be such a bad idea.

{}

There was a television in the lobby of the hotel. Saylee had seen them before, but they were all gathering dust in the corners of people's rooms. Some functioned, but they didn't pick anything up. What was there to watch? But there must have been shows being made somewhere in the islands, because several patients were watching a show about a man and a Growlithe trying to catch a Pidgey that was carrying secret messages. They failed at everything they tried and the Growlithe gave a stupid snigger every time. Saylee had become fond of it; it was always on right after they got back from the hot springs and killed time before dinner.

Some patients checked out right after hot springs trips, but Saylee didn't notice that one was checking in until he called out to her.

"Saylee! Saylee, is that you?"

Saylee spun around, wincing as the still-tight skin around her shoulders pulled. Chaz made it around and roared in surprise.

"Bill!" he said. "What are you doing here?"

Hernan pushed Saylee's chair around for her and she was confronted with the surprise sight of Bill, the man she'd met north of Cerulean months ago. His face was still scarred, his nose abnormally small and flat, and his left sleeve dangled empty, but he looked in significantly better shape than he had the last time that Saylee had seen him.

"It is you!" Bill said, striding over and scratching at his face self-consciously. "I thought it was you! What are you doing all the way out here?"

"What are _you_ doing all the way out here?" Saylee said in surprise. "I thought you were with your grandfather...?"

"He lives out here," Bill said. "His Fearow flew me down to the sea, and then there were water Pokémon belonging to the trawlers here that ferried me across." He scratched his face again, rubbing his fingers over it. He probably wasn't used to the new contours of his face; Saylee knew that she kept running her fingers through her short-cut hair. "I didn't recognize you with the short hair, at first," he said, causing Saylee to drop her hand self-consciously away from her hair. "And is this Chaz? You evolved!" He patted Chaz on the nose, before frowning down at Saylee's casts. "What happened to you? You look like you got pretty smashed up yourself."

"Collapsing house," Saylee said, unable to stop her scratching under her hairline again. She was sure she could feel a healing burn scar under there, just behind her ear. "I got knocked out and ended up floating on the sea."

"You floated all the way out here?" Bill said with a frown, sitting down on a sofa next to her. He was limping a bit; his leg had been returned to him, unlike his arm, but it had still been mangled badly. "I spent two whole days on the backs of somebody's Dewgong and Poliwrath to get here. Why didn't you drown?" He smiled as a thought struck him. "Wait, you had a Magikarp the last time I saw you. Did she evolve?"

"She did!" Saylee said excitedly. "I got separated from her, but oh, you should see her now. Do you remember Pedro? My Pidgeotto? He evolved too. He's out there somewhere."

"If you got separated from them, how did you survive two days on the waves?" Bill asked. Saylee shrugged.

"I hadn't thought about it," she said. "I just did. I guess I'm lucky I ended up here. I've never seen healthcare like this. For _free_, even."

"Aren't those hot springs amazing?" Bill said. "It healed my facial scarring beyond all recognition. And I don't think I'd be able to walk on my leg without it." He shook his head. "Things are so much better out here. They didn't get hurt or mixed up with whatever happened back in Kanto and Johto. I'm pretty sure that these islands are what it used to be like. Grandpa says it was. He was here at the time, so he can remember. I can't say what caused it, but the memory loss is only over a certain area..."

"I know," Saylee said. "I think we've got a lot to talk about. Do you have some free time?"

"I've got a checkup whenever my doc comes out," Bill said, glancing around, "but I'll see you around the dinner canteen?"

"It's a date," Saylee agreed.

{}

_A few people brought up the line "I remember when I was a little girl there was people out on holiday all the time" as grammatically incorrect, but that's deliberate. Because of reasons, I'm giving the people living in the Sevii Islands light Welsh accents. All of the Kanto/Johto natives have varying British accents, also because of reasons. I'm always grateful if anybody notices a grammar, spelling, punctuation or continuity error and points it out, because these are unbeta'd and posted pretty much as soon as they're finished. Sometimes, though, with dialogue, it's deliberate for dialectical reasons._

_(Though while writing these chapters, I'll probably have to watch lots of _Torchwood_ to keep Welsh accents in my mind, because otherwise I tend to slip badly about them and suddenly everyone sounds like they're from the Wess Coun'ree XP )_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	38. Chapter 38

_Pokémon: 15 Deaths: 17_

Dinner conversation consisted largely of Bill complaining about the food (apparently hospital food was the least flavourful in all of the islands, though Saylee wasn't complaining) and Saylee explaining the things that she'd found on Cinnabar. Bill largely agreed with her conclusions. He was determined that Mewtwo was a weapon, just like the machine that he'd found. General consensus was that there'd been fighting at the time that Mewtwo was created, though the Islands had been so out of the way that nobody was quite sure against who or what the fighting had been.

"So, how are you planning to get home once you heal?" he asked. Saylee gave a one-shoulder shrug, having already developed the reflex of protecting her right shoulder.

"The trawlers go pretty far out, I guess," she said. "Though I'm not sure why, the water here's pretty teeming with life. Life that _isn't_ a Tentacool."

"They don't fish water Pokémon," Bill said. "Half of those veggies you're eating are water weeds and edible corals. Fishing isn't a common thing now that what you haul out of the water can scream at you. My grandfather said that most fishermen stopped overnight."

"People still fish at home," Saylee said. Bill shook his head.

"People are hungrier over there," he said. "Anyway, they go far out, but not far enough for Chaz to fly you home on his own."

"I wish I could communicate with home," Saylee sighed. "My Pokédex is busted and this-" she drew the transport ball out of her pocket and shook it. "It's out of range."

"I think I can help you out," Bill said. "I've got a friend from another island coming over tomorrow. His name's Celio. We're going to try to put the finishing touches on hooking up the Islands network to the mainland."

"You mean I could call Professor Oak's lab from here?" Saylee yelped excitedly, nearly jumping out of her chair and then slumping as the sharp movement jolted her ribs. "Owwww..."

"Hey, careful!" Bill said, reaching over to pat her gently on the shoulder. "Anyway, yes, you can, once we've finished connecting it. I've got data about the mainland system on me, and they used to be connected anyway. But you are going to have to wait, okay? It'll be a while."

"I'm stuck here for a while anyway, until my injuries heal," Saylee said glumly, slumping back into her wheelchair. "It'll be a while until I can fit into the flying harness properly."

"I don't think I could fly smoothly enough to avoid jolting your ribs, anyway," Chaz admitted. "You really do need to rest."

"I've got an idea that might kill some time," Bill said. "And it'll help out, too."

"I'm up for it," Saylee agreed. "What do you need?"

{}

Saylee took a light breath of the salty air as Hernan wheeled her off of the fast ship. The ships between the islands were so fast that the g-forces were too strong to be out on deck. Bill had explained that the ships could go high speed but not over long distances, not without burning out the engine, which was why the ferries only operated between the islands. He was hoping to look into improving the technology of the engine, among a billion other things.

A couple of the people who had been on the ship with her headed along t the beach, but most started trekking up the hill. Hernan easily pushed her up the gentle slope. Saylee fumbled one-handedly to let Carrie, Paul and Chaz out.

"Your scar's looking better," Saylee commented to Hernan. "The spring water's helped it out, hasn't it?"

"It really does have a healing effect," Carrie agreed. "They said you can get your arm out of the sling the day after tomorrow and your ribs are sounding better already. The leg'll take longer, since it's a weight-bearing bone, but I'm sure it'll be fine so long as you stay in the chair."

"I think I can do that," Saylee said. "All the paths here are so smooth and well-kept. Who has time to do that?"

"People who run entertainment places?" Hernan said. "The attendant on the boat was talking about game centres and street markets."

"Game centres?" Chaz said suspiciously. "Like the one in Celadon?"

"Only probably not run by Team Rocket," Saylee laughed. She reflexively put her hand over her ribs, but laughing didn't send searing pain through them today. Three weeks of daily hot springs were doing her good.

A slightly chilly breeze blew through them as they crested the hill and came in sight of the street market. It was the only sign that it was the beginning of winter. At home, it would be getting dark a little earlier in the evening and it would be getting much colder during the day, but the islands remained warm and bright- at least, compared to what Saylee was accustomed to. She saw a mother wrapping a thick scarf around her son's neck and wondered how he could stand it.

"So, where we 'eaded?" Paul asked, looking around the stalls. The first one that they came to was a drinks stand offering hot and cold drinks. Saylee really wanted one, but she didn't have any of whatever currency was in use on the islands; everything at the hospital was free to patients, and she'd gotten a free ride to the island on Bill's ferry pass.

"Let's just have a quick look around," she said. "We need to meet this friend of Bill's. Apparently, he runs the biggest gaming centre here."

"I like that plan," Paul said. "I can _smell_ the amount of 'leccy they're usin' from 'ere. This place is _buzzin_'!" He darted off between the stalls to have a look around.

{}

The gaming centre was open, and there were a few kids at some gaming machines and a couple of trainers with Pokémon competing to see who could jump higher, but the second thing that Saylee noticed was that it was actually largely empty. The _first_ thing she noticed was a man in a suit pacing back and forth by the front door. When Carrie opened it he looked up sharply, hope and relief written all over his face, only to be replaced by worry and bitter disappointment when he saw Saylee and Carrie. It was only a flash, replaced yet again by a strained smile.

"Welcome to the Joyful Game Corner, Boon Island's premier centre of fun!" he recited. "How can I help-"

"I'm a friend of Celio's," Saylee said, though she still had yet to actually meet Bill's friend. "He asked me to pick up something for him?"

"Oh... right," the man said distractedly, running his hand through his hair. "Damn, I left it at home... I asked my daughter to bring it over, but... she hasn't arrived..." his voice cracked and the professional smile was pushed back off of his face by worry.

"When does your daughter normally get here?" Saylee asked. The man glanced up at a clock on the wall.

"One o' clock," he said. "She comes to bring me lunch from home and play a little. I really live over on Kin Island, you see, but farming doesn't really suit me so I came over here to open this centre, it does very well, but of course I don't go home at all on the weekends and-"

"Sir," Saylee said as calmly as she could. He was visibly worried and his speech was growing high and fast-paced, and it was giving her a terrible headache trying to keep up. His worry about his daughter was rubbing off, too. "Can you call home? Can you check if she's there?"

"Yes... that's a good idea," he said, hurrying off. Saylee and the others waited patiently by the door.

"I hope she's home," Carrie said. "She's two hours late."

"I hope we don't have to take another ferry ride," Saylee said. "We hung around the market for too long, we'll never get the last ferry back to Knot Island."

"Get the hell outta the way!"

There was an angry roar from Chaz and the more guttural roar of a machine as a motorbike smashed through the glass doors. Saylee screamed and ducked as broken glass showered her, her cry morphing into a scream of pain as she reflexively threw both arms up over her head. Carrie flung her bone at the motorcyclist, who only barely ducked it and drove up and down the aisles of the gaming centre.

"Where the hell are those jackasses?" he yelled, grabbing a kid off of a game machine. "What're you trying to pull, huh? There more than one Kin Island around here?"

"Th-there's just the one," the kid stuttered in fright, "but it's no' this one! This is Boon Island! Really!"

"What?" the man snarled angrily, gunning it down another aisle. The centre owner came running out of a door at the back, almost purple with fury.

"What are you doing, ya gotsan?" he yelled. "Get out of here!"

"What do I want with your shitty place anyway?" the thug shot back, driving straight for him. The owner tried to jump out of the way, but there was still a nasty _crunch_ing noise from his right leg as he didn't quite make it in time. The biker drove down another aisle, back towards the front doors.

He was promptly knocked backwards off his bike by Carrie's bone, this time hitting its mark, while his bike trundled on and was snatched up by Chaz, who smashed it to pieces. And then burned those. The thug tried to get back up and was promptly tripped by Paul's tail around his ankles. Hernan strode over and picked up the man by his shoulders.

"What do we do with him?" he asked.

"Call the police," the owner called, white-faced as he clutched his leg. A couple of the gaming centre patrons ran over to the public-use phones to do just that, while a girl a couple of years younger than Saylee the owner to please let go of his leg.

"I'm training to be a doctor, over on Knot Island," she promised. "I just learned how to set bones, and you have to do it quick like."

"Look, I just made a mistake, I'm not even supposed to be in this shithole!" the biker yelled angrily, struggling against Hernan's grip. "The others said we were meeting on Kin and I got it wrong! How many fuckin' islands are there around here, anyway."

"Hey, there are kids present," Saylee admonished him, carefully brushing small bits of glass out of her hair. "You mean there are more thugs like you on Kin Island?"

"What's a cripple like you care?" the man said, spitting at her. Hernan held him up with one hand, pulling the other fist back and looking questioningly at Saylee.

"Try not to permanently damage him," Saylee asked. Hernan nodded and gave the man a solid thump on the head, knocking him out.

"You are creepily controlled," Paul said. "I woulda fried 'im."

"It is important not to lose your head to fear or rage in battle, or you will make mistakes," Hernan said calmly. "Is anyone hurt, except for the game corner owner?"

"The cops are coming right now to take him away," a young man who had been at a slot machine said, jerking his thumb at the unconscious thug. "Nobody else is hurt, thank goodness. Are you alright, miss?" he asked Saylee.

"No major damage from the glass, I think," she said, but it turned out that she did have a shallow cut on her face and small scratches all over her hands from brushing the glass off. The police officer, a lady in a blue suit who locked the thug's hands into metal cuffs, had a medic with her, who wrapped up the owner's leg and organized an appointment at the hospital for him the next day. The police woman dragged the unconscious thug away, promising to be back later to take statements.

"He said that others were on Kin Island, though," Carrie said to Saylee, who was trying not to pick at the plaster the medic had put on her cheek. "Do you think they've hurt people there, too? Like the owner's little girl?"

"That could well be why she's not here," Saylee said quietly. "And that arsehole had a Kanto accent. Might be something to do with those gangs all over the hill to the west of Celadon."

"But won't they have more of those cop people there?" Hernan pointed out. "Shouldn't they be able to do something about it?"

"There's only one cop over on Kin, and 'e's getting on a bit," a little boy informed them. "Nobody does nothin' wrong over on Kin, it's all big farms and about three houses."

"We should go help his daughter," Saylee said, reaching down to take the brake lock off her wheels. "Come on, we can get the last ferry out, and we can get the meteorite while we're there-"

"Hold it," Chaz said sharply, reaching out and taking hold of her wheelchair. "Saylee, you can't go getting into fights! You're still hurt!"

"I'm nearly better!" Saylee argued. "I'm only still in this chair because of my leg!"

"Chaz is right, Saylee," Carrie said apologetically. "I don't think you'll be safe out there."

"Don't mean we can't go, 'course," Paul said. "I mean, we're the ones givin' 'em a kickin' anyway."

"That's... not a half bad idea," Saylee admitted. "Any one of you could handle idiots like these in your sleep. Hernan could take my ferry pass and carry your pokéballs."

"I could," Hernan agreed. "You could stay safe here while we deal with this and bring the little girl and the meteorite back here."

"Why d'we _all_ have to be in the pokéballs?" Paul complained. "Chaz's the only bugger too big to fit in the boat."

"The ferry pass is only for one," Saylee apologized. She looked up at Chaz. "Are you all up for this?"

"I could use a workout," Chaz said, "and it would be bad if these thugs thought they could go around attacking the islands. What would happen to Knot Island?" he leaned down to nudge Saylee's cheek reassuringly.

"Look after each other, okay?" Saylee said, patting him on the nose and looking at the others. "All of you. We don't want to get separated from anyone else..."

"We won't," Carrie promised, patting her on the arm. "Now, let's find you somewhere safe to stay the night here."

"I've got a spare room back there," the centre owner said, limping over on a crutch the medic had given him. "My daughter sometimes sleeps over. Lostelle. Her name's Lostelle." He looked at Saylee's Pokémon pleadingly. "She's only nine. Please, make sure they haven't hurt her. Please bring her home safe."

"We swear we will," Hernan promised him.

"We'll make sure _they're_ the only ones in a world o' hurt," Paul cackled just before Hernan returned it.

"Look after yourself, Saylee," Carrie said as she vanished.

"We'll be back tomorrow," Chaz promised. "All four of us." He vanished too, and Hernan gently fistbumped Saylee before leaving.

"Are you going to be alright?" the centre owner asked. "You all seem very close."

"It's just one night," Saylee said. "I know they'll be fine. I'm sure of it."

{}

_I was told by a friend who lived in Wales for a while that "gotsan" was a cuss she picked up there that basically equates to calling someone a fanny (notes for Americans and other aliens: fanny does not mean your arse in the UK. It means your lady parts. Please stop calling those bags fanny packs in the UK. The more you know!). I could be wrong, she might have fed me false swear words for kicks and it actually means "kitten" or something. Among the reasons that I've given everyone in the Kanto/Johto area various British accents is that I get to play with various slang and dialects. Not the main, important Reason, but it's fun anyway._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	39. Chapter 39

_Pokémon: 15 Deaths: 17_

Paxton was starting to get pissed off. A few of the guys had gone tooling around the other islands with stolen ferry passes and a couple of them still hadn't come back. It was especially annoying that Billy hadn't turned up, since he was the only one that had figured out how to work the damn boat engine, at least long enough to get them out here, and until he got back they were stuck on this boring-ass island with nothing but farms and the boring people working on them. Weren't even any cute girls or anything.

"Get that food loaded up on the boat," he called, "and somebody get down to the dock and find out if there's another one of those ferry things to the other islands and haul Billy's ass out here."

"Fine," Virgil grumbled. "I'm goin'." He revved up his bike and rolled down the hill.

"You can't just take all the food!" A boy yelled angrily. His mother pulled him back, but he continued to yell at Paxton. "That's for Kin and Boon Island, that is!"

"Like we care," Paxton yelled, pointing at the kid. His Muk followed his direction, lurching towards the kid. The islanders recoiled, covering their noses, as the filthy Pokémon advanced.

"Got a problem, kid?" Marty, the giant Muk, growled. A sludgy arm formed, raising above the kid, ready to come crashing down.

It never connected.

Virgil's motorbike slammed into Marty hard enough to lift him off the ground. Paxton clocked that it was on fire a second before the noxious Weezing gas that they used as fuel ignited, blowing Marty apart. The other bikers yelled to their Pokémon to form a defensive ring around them, facing the aggressors.

There were four Pokémon. Paxton wasn't sure what any of them were, but they were pissed off, and he was willing to bet that the huge orange one with its tail on fire had thrown the bike. He still had Wilf, his Weezing, but Wilf would be even more flammable than the bike.

Well, this was what he had a gang for. "Get 'em, boys!"

The other guys' Pokémon charged forwards, met head-on by the shorter brown one flinging what looked a hell of a lot like a _bone_ at them hard enough to knock them off their feet. The taller brown one in purple. The taller brown one was in a boxing match with a Machoke and seemed to be winning. The little orange one was zipping around at ankle level, too fast to see, zapping lightning bolts everywhere, and the giant orange bastard was just wading in with claws and fire. Paxton made the tactical decision to get the hell out of there.

"Oh, no you don't!"

The bone slammed into shoulder, throwing him sideways off of his bike. Strong claws wrapped around him, stopping him from getting up. He yelped as hot air blasted over him.

"Now," the Pokémon that had him growled, "where's Giovanni?"

"Geoffo who?" Paxton yelped. "I don't know any Geoff!"

"Don't play dumb," the Pokémon snarled. "How else would you get out here? Only Giovanni had those resources!"

"We nicked the boat, alright?" Paxton yelled frantically as the claws increased their grip. The sounds of fighting had already stopped. "There wasn't anyone in Vermillion! One boat was nearly done! We nicked it and finished it with a bike engine and decided to get the hell out, okay? Look at this place! Clear air and tons of food! Anything's better than going back to live in that shithole!"

There was a long silence, before the Pokémon rumbled, "so... you're not Team Rocket?"

"Those wanks on the Saffron gates?" Paxton grumbled. "Nothin' to do with them! I'm in charge of this gang, got it? No jackoff in a suit!"

"Chaz, I think I recognize some of these punks," another voice called. "We got into a fight with some of them just after I joined up with you, didn't we?"

"In which case, they are no use to use," another voice said. "We had best neutralize them for the local forces to deal with." The claws let go of Paxton, but before he could get up, something struck him hard on the back of the neck and he passed out.

{}

"For a minute there, I really thought we'd found him," Chaz sighed.

"I suppose it's too much to hope that every small invasion is to do with Team Rocket," Carrie said, twirling her bone idly. The mayor of Kin Island, after thanking them profusely, had gone to call the other mayors to discuss imprisoning the invading bikers. Carrie, Hernan and Chaz were helping the islanders to return the stolen food to the storage and shipping areas that it had been stolen from, while Paul was asking around after Lostelle.

"Perhaps he is hiding on one of the other islands, though," Hernan said. "After all, boats do seem to be able to make it out here, so long as you have a fuel supply."

"Makes me worry about what will happen when Bill gets mainland contact, though," Chaz said. "After all, look how much better-off these islands are. There'll be a huge rush of people moving here. I mean, those bikers just got here by chance while looking for anywhere not Kanto."

"I should hope that leaders like Lt Surge and Koga will be able to control such things," Carrie said. "They control the only ports, after all. In any case, if the people here have the key to restoring technology and farming on the mainland, contact is necessary. And more imminently..."

"I know," Chaz said. "We have to find Pedro and Miranda, and find Saylee a way home."

"Alright, guys, I got news," Paul said, running up to join them, "but it's not good. Lostelle went missin' hours before those bastards showed up." He flicked his tail in the direction of the storage barn that the bikers had been locked into. "They said she was pickin' berries in the forest. They grow wild all over, people said, but go too deep an' there's some freaky Pokémon in there."

"We had better go and find her, then," Hernan said. "A child should not be alone in the deep woods for so long, especially now it is growing dark out..."

"Hey, thanks for all your help," one of the islanders said gratefully as they dropped off the crates of apples at the sealed silo. "We really owe you for beating off those thugs, and for helping us haul this lot back where it belongs. We'd never have gotten it in before the rain without you!"

"Rain?" Chaz said, looking up sharply at the sky. The man nodded.

"You can't see any stars, so the clouds must be rolling in pretty thick," he said.

"I din't notice that," Paul said quietly. "No stars back home."

"I need to get under cover now," Chaz said, automatically flicking his tail under his wing for cover. "Now. Rain and I do not get along. Rain and I are not friends. In my pokéball or in a building, I need to be out of the way, now. You too," he added to Paul. "You're doing better, but I saw some of your sparks going wild in the fight. If you get caught out in the rain and so much as twitch, you'll electrocute the whole island."

"Rain is no bother to me," Hernan said. "I will go search for the lost child."

"I'll go with you," Carrie added. Hernan looked surprised.

"I thought you were not fond of rain either," He said. Carrie shook her head.

"I'm not, but it's nowhere near the damage it could do to Chaz," she said. "I can bear up just fine, and anyway if this forest is thick, I'll have some cover. Besides, can you see in the dark?"

"No," Hernan admitted. Carrie crossed her arms and gave a smug nod.

"We'll see you when you get back with Lostelle," Chaz said, glancing nervously up at the sky. The prospect of rain was making him extremely twitchy. "Good luck. Be careful."

"You too," Carrie said, saluting him with her bone. "Which way to the forest?"

"Head to the northwest," the young man said, pointing the direction. "You two can hide out in one of the barns, if you like... I'm sure the Miltank won't mind."

"The whats?" Paul asked.

{}

Thunder rolled and lightning struck somewhere a few moments later. Paul shivered happily and twitched his tail, a spark inadvertently jumping off of it.

"Ex_cuse_ me!" Millie, the largest Miltank and leader of the herd, admonished him. "This dreadful weather is distressing enough without your additions, frankly."

"Sorry, missus," Paul said, curling up on the little nest he'd made out of some of the hay. Millie took a large bite out of the clump under his head as punishment.

"Can we not fight?" Chaz asked. "We've done plenty of that today already, and this is an enclosed, dry space and I'd like it to stay that way. His vast body heat and the heat of the large herd of Miltank was keeping the shed comfortably warm and dry, but he was still shying away from the windows.

"It's properly pissin' it down," Paul observed. "Don't like it, do you?"

"Of course not," Chaz said grumpily. He swished his tail at Paul, keeping it a couple of feet above the floor, mindful of all the dry hay. "This flame? It's my life force. When I die, it'll go out. And, conversely, if it goes out, that'll kill me. A little bit of rain or mist is extremely uncomfortable, but a deluge like that outside could really kill me." He stretched out his wings and curled his tail forwards to rest it on one to keep it off of the hay-strewn floor. "Let's talk about something else. I've never seen Miltank before," he said, addressing Millie. "Are there a lot of you?"

"Aside from the big lot here?" Millie laughed. "Far more back home in Olivine, dear."

"Olivine..." Chaz frowned. He hadn't heard of it.

"It's in another country," Millie explained. "We used to live out there until that nice Farmer George came out and asked if anyone wanted to come live out here. Well, I thought, why not? I'm not as young as I was, and it's quite relaxing out here. There were already some ladies out here. That lovely Meg was the herd leader back then, remember?"

"Meg was a darling, but so on in her years," one of the others sighed.

"So why do they want you out here?" Chaz asked. Millie laughed.

"Don't you know, dear?" she said. "We make the best milk in the world, we do! Just give us plenty of food and somewhere to nap most of the day, it's all we do back home, and here the food comes to us. It's a good life, eh?"

"If you're hungry or thirsty, let us know," the younger one chimed in again. Chaz thought her name might be Minty. It was hard for him to tell the large herd apart- they all looked the same to him. "It's very nutritious, our milk. They give it to all the patients down the hospital."

"Oh, right." Chaz recalled a white liquid that Saylee had been given to drink with her hospital dinners. He'd heard that milk was something that baby mammals drank. Apparently, it was good for them grown-up too.

"Ta very much, luv," Paul piped up. "Saylee's been doin' great, in't she?"

"Yes," Chaz said. "Our trainer was hurt badly. If your milk has been helping her, I'm very grateful."

"She'll be fine, dear," Millie promised. "Between our milk and the hot springs, she'll be fine and dandy in no time at all!"

{}

It was a sudden roll of thunder and flash of lightning, very close by, which woke her. She sat straight up, groping around for something near her head, but found nothing. What was she looking for, anyway?

She looked around frantically. She could only see the faintest shapes of the room in flashes of lightning, and she recognized nothing. The room was a confusingly blurred mix of shadow and vague shapes. Where was she? How did she get here? Who...

She was starting to panic. What was going on? Why did her limbs hurt? Her head was _killing_ her, why was it doing that, where was she, _who_ was she...

The panic overwhelmed her and she screamed.

{}

_The showcase is done, my Origins performance is done, it is all done! No more rehearsals for this term, no more directors interjecting every five seconds, no more monologues to learn, no more having to start an entire scene over every time Sarah forgets her lines, no more choreography! It's been busy and lots of fun, but I'm relieved it's over. That and the fact that I went to see Avengers twice over the weekend are the reasons that this chapter took a while to write and is still kinda short. The thing about Avengers was that it was so AMAZING that for the rest of the day everything else seemed crap by comparison. Hot damn, I love that movie. I have to find an excuse to go see it again this weekend._

_So yeah, part of the reason I rushed to get this chapter done for today is to celebrate the US release of the greatest movie I have seen for several years, so now I can stop annoying the living hell out of my cousins with borderline-spoilery info and just squee about it with them :D Are you going to see it? If not, why the hell not? D:_

_And to all the people who reviewed convinced that Giovanni was the leader of the biker gang: I'm amazed that I have so many readers who never played the games! XD Seriously, though, Giovanni's location will be revealed soon, after a few lost creatures get it together..._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	40. Chapter 40

_Pokémon: 15 Deaths: 17_

Carrie glared up at the thick foliage as a fat drop of water found its way through and thumped into her skull. It was far more irritating to her than the close by flashes of thunder and lightning; lightning never frightened her. It wasn't fazing Hernan, either. They were keeping up a steady conversation so that Hernan could follow her in the pitch-black between lightning flashes.

"I didn't think that grave guardians would want to travel," Hernan was saying. "Was it hard to leave the graveyard?"

"A little," Carrie admitted. "I'd never left the Tower before. But it didn't go against my instincts to leave. I was driven to find Giovanni. I still am. He led the men who desecrated the graves. He is a threat to the graves and must be stopped." She clenched her bone viciously. "What about you?" she asked, distracting herself from thinking about caving in Giovanni's skull. "Are you a traveller?"

"I have never been far from the dojo before, but I am only four," Hernan said. "We all trained in dedication. The master had been planning for all of us to go to the caves near his home, to train outside the dojo, but it never happened. It has been a novel experience, seeing more of the country. I do not know if I could have travelled like this on my own."

"Really?" Carrie asked. "You look like the solitary sort."

"Do I?" Hernan chuckled. "I wonder. I was born and raised in the dojo with my brother. I have very little experience of being alone. The only time I have felt alone is after you found me, before you agreed to take me with you. I felt purposeless."

"I've never felt that way," Carrie mused. "Come to that, I've never had reason to feel lonely either. I've always had my sisters and the dead around..." she smirked. "I have often heard my kind called lonely, but those who see us standing alone are those who cannot see the spirits around us, the spirits that we protect. We are never alone."

"Are there... spirits around you now?" Hernan asked cautiously. Carrie shook her head, and then remembered that he couldn't see her.

"No," she said. "I would never take any spirits from the graveyard. Right now, I surround myself with the living, and my intent is to keep them that way."

"...what are they like?" Hernan asked. "We visited Lavender once, one of the few times I left the dojo, to bury an old warrior. A Machamp, I think he was. I could see and feel nothing. Some other Pokémon seemed to feel presences, but my brother and I felt nothing."

"At rest... ghosts are not much," Carrie said. "At rest, the soul sleeps in whatever dream is most beautiful to it. The "ghosts" that surround their graves are really more clouds of memory. Memory is the most powerful part of us, the most real, and it lingers after we are gone."

"What kind of memories?" Hernan asked. "Forgive me if this line of questioning bother you, but I am curious."

"No reason you shouldn't be," Carrie laughed, "and the memories tend to be people. Those we meet, those who touch and shape our lives, make a far stronger impact on our memories than things and events. There are memories of events, of course, but they're events experienced with people. If the memory is powerful or the death is recent, you can even see their faces and hear their voices. Baby Cubone play in these memories. We watch them like the most fascinating show in the world. They really are."

"So if I died tomorrow, my most powerful memories would not be of my training, though that has taken up much of my life," Hernan mused, "but of those I trained with, and of Saylee and the others, and you?"

"Nobody's going to die," Carrie said sharply, before softening. "You might remember your training, but as backdrop to those you trained with. The islands would be a backdrop to being here with us. The forest would be strong, recent, but it would still be backdrop to this conversation."

"I would not remember the forest," Hernan laughed. "I can see none of it!"

"Pfft, you all have such terrible night vision," Carrie teased. "How do you people get around?"

"Well, I have heard rumours of this thing called the "sun"..." Hernan prodded back. Carrie laughed. Hernan smiled too, but the smile faded as his gaze sharpened abruptly. "What was that?"

Carrie turned around to see where he was looking. "What?"

"I saw a flash of something in the trees," Henan said. "There! Again! Did you see it?"

"No..." Carrie shook her head. She could see the endless flashes of water dripping through the trees, but she couldn't separate anything unusual from them. Hernan's lack of night vision suddenly seemed like an advantage. He wasn't distracted by mundane movement. He could see something unusual. "What was it?"

"I don't know... just the merest flash of light in the dark..." Hernan said. Lightning flashed again, and Carrie heard a sharp sob somewhere off in the trees.

"Can you hear that?" she whispered, grabbing Hernan's wrist to signal to him to shush. In the quiet she could hear the rain and distant rumble of thunder, but when that died down she could faintly hear a child's crying. "It's a child... this way!" She ran forwards, hanging onto Hernan's wrist; he could no longer follow her by sound. She had to follow the sound of the child's crying.

"Lostelle?" She called out. "Lostelle, is that you? Can you hear me, Lostelle?"

"H-help..." she heard the child wail. "H-h-help meee-ee-ee..." she started crying loudly again. Carrie flung her bone to slash aside a bush that was in the way and leapt over the stump, finally spotting the crying child.

It had to be Lostelle. Nine was still childhood for humans, and this one was very small. She was sobbing and hiccupping and clutching a basket that she was trying to bury her head behind. Carrie knelt down in front of her, reaching out gently to the girl.

"Lostelle?" she said softly. "My name's Carrie. I'm here to help you, Lostelle. Your daddy sent me and Hernan here to bring you home."

The little girl looked up at her, sniffling, and dropped the basket. A fruit core rolled out. "Th-the bad Pokémon..." she whispered. "The scary Pokémon... make it go away... O-oh please, make it go away..."

"Hand her to me, Carrie," Hernan said, touching Carrie's shoulder. "I cannot see. You will have to look out for this "scary Pokémon", if it comes back."

"Hernan is going to pick you up now," Carrie said, stepping back and guiding Hernan's hand down to Lostelle's shoulder so that he could find the girl. "He's big and strong and he'll look after you, okay?"

"O-okay," Lostelle sniffled. She reached up and wrapped one arm around Hernan's neck as he lifted her up, snagging the basket with the other. "Pl-please... I w-want to go home..."

"We'll take you home righ- UNGH!" There was a purple flash and Carrie was knocked backwards; she shielded her eyes with her arm and peered over it as the light died to see that Hernan had been knocked right off of his feet, though he had managed to wrap himself protectively around Lostelle as he rolled. He slammed into a tree and shook his head dazedly. Carrie darted over to stand protectively in front of him, raising her bone as she scanned the trees for their attacker.

"That's my dinner, that is," an angry voice hissed. Carrie spotted a flash in the trees, the flash that Hernan had seen before, and realized what it was; a coin very similar to the silver one dangling from Saylee's dreamcatcher. The same coin that Daisy had carried.

It was a Hypno. And it was a bad one.

"We're taking this little one home where she belongs," Carrie said sharply, now easily able to pick out the swinging of the coin from the dripping of the rain. The flash of movement was horizontal, not vertical, and it was moving as their adversary stalked them, trying to stay out of sight. "You can't have her."

"Says who?" the voice sneered. "I'm _hungry_. And little humans dream such lovely dreams..." Lostelle sobbed. Carrie continued watching the flash of the coin and how it moved.

"She'll sleep all the sounder once I hand you this," Carrie called. "It's got your name all over it."

"What does?" The Hypno laughed. Carrie flung her bone, the weapon curving around the tree the Hypno was hiding behind and knocking him off his feet easily and swinging back to Carrie's hand.

"That," she said. "Want a closer look?" she flung it again before he could pull himself to his feet. The psychic snarled violently and pushed himself upright just enough to swing the coin from the string held firmly in his grip. Carrie felt another blast of light and force push her back, and when her head cleared, she could see her foe. He was smaller than Daisy had been, as she remembered, and was breathing a nasty-looking purple gas, which Carrie _definitely_ didn't remember Daisy doing. Unnervingly, he didn't seem to have been hurt badly by what Carrie knew to be two heavy strikes. Hypno were among the more physically powerful psychics, and it was showing.

"That gas'll be poisonous," Carrie muttered. "Lostelle, cover your nose and mouth, okay? Hernan, you might just have to run with her while I deal with him. It looks like it'll take a while."

"Carrie," Hernan said quietly, "are you afraid of lightning?"

"Not a bit," Carrie said promptly, stepping forward, eyes firmly on her enemy. She heard a little _snap-pop_ noise, not dissimilar to the sound of Paul's sparking.

"I bet he is, though," Hernan said pointedly. Carrie looked up and grinned, flinging her bone up to clear away the overhanging foliage and jumping aside as water cascaded through, most of it hitting the enemy Hypno. Within a second, while the first rush of water was still a flood, Hernan's electrified fist hit the rush of water, sending sparks of electricity jumping through the rain and the bulk of it frying the Hypno.

Carrie's bone dropped out of the sky and into her hand as the last sparks died away. She turned to check on Hernan and Lostelle, but both of them seemed to fine despite also being drenched with rain.

"Worry not, I am insulated against my own punches," Hernan said, shifting Lostelle on his arm so that she could hide her head under his protruding shoulder pad. "I am glad that worked. Thank you for clearing the trees."

"Not a problem," Carrie said, reaching out to take his arm again to lead him back through the forest. "That was genius."

"I am glad it worked," Hernan sighed. "That creature was so powerful... I was not feeling particularly effective against it."

"We all have our strengths and weaknesses," Carrie said, slipping her paw into his hand and squeezing it. "Finding out how to overcome your weaknesses is more admirable than not having them at all."

The moment was spoiled by a fat drop of water plopping into Carrie's head, making her jump.

"Shall we get back before you get any more water in your skull?" Hernan suggested.

{}

"Is this it?" Lostelle's mother said, unlocking a display cabinet and removing a silver-grey lump of rock. She handed it to Chaz who turned it over, sniffed it, and nodded.

"I saw one like it in Pewter City," he said. "This is a meteorite. That's what Bill asked for."

"You're very welcome to it," Lostelle's mother said gratefully. "Thank you for bringing Lostelle home. Can you let my husband know that everything is alright and that we'll come see him at the hospital soon."

"Will Lostelle be alright?" Carrie asked. Her mother smiled a little.

"She's mostly upset that she ate her father's lunch," she said. "Once she's had a good rest, I'll get her checked up at the hospital to make sure she'll be okay."

"Hernan really fried that Hypno, but someone might want to go into the forest and get rid of him for good," Carrie warned. "We'd go check ourselves, but..."

"You've all done more than enough for us," Lostelle's mother insisted. "I know you're worried about your trainer. Go get the ferry back to see her."

"Thank you very much," Chaz said, withdrawing his head from the door to let Paul, Hernan and Carrie out.

"Arse kicked, meteorite grabbed an' all's well," Paul said. "Blimey, an' I heard farms was supposed to be relaxing."

"Well, apparently we will have plenty of time to relax in hospital," Hernan said. "Last night's storm seems to have been the first of a series of thunderstorms and rain that are common this time of year which disrupts transport and communications. Even if Bill finishes the communications relay, it could be as much as a month before we can contact Pedro and Miranda."

"Saylee won't be happy about that," Chaz sighed. "I hope Pedro and Miranda are alright..."

"Everyone had better get in their pokéballs for the ride back," Hernan said. "The ferry leaves soon." He took the meteorite from Chaz before returning him, and then returned Paul.

"See you on the other side," Carrie said, saluting him. Hernan grinned as he returned her, looking forward to reaching Boon Island.

{}

"What's wrong?" Chaz asked as they were stopped from entering the game centre by a police officer.

"I'm keeping guard on this place while the owner is away," she said. "You can't go inside."

"Our trainer was staying here, though," Chaz said. "Her name is Saylee. Do you know where she is?"

"That girl got sent back to the hospital," the policewoman said. "Apparently she had some sort of attack. I'm no medic, I'm not at liberty to give details. They took her back to hospital."

Chaz exchanged stricken looks with the other three, and then they all bolted back to the harbour.

{}

_I'm done, it's finished, my first year of University is COMPLETE! Don't expect another chapter for a wee while, though, because as this is the last week the plan is for it to consist of drinking, drinking, Blackpool and drinking :P Then I'm free for the summer to play all the Pokémon and write all the fanfic I want :D_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	41. Chapter 41

_Pokémon: 15 Deaths: 17_

"She's sedated just now," Joy said, looking down the hall to Saylee's room. "Poor thing was having a terrible panic attack. Seems she's been having memory troubles."

"She never mentioned anything being wrong," Carrie said, twisting her hands nervously around her bone. Hernan patted her consolingly on the shoulder.

"Is this because we left?" Chaz said, sounding on the edge of panic. Joy shook her head.

"I'm sure I don't know, dear," she said, "but I'm sure she'll feel more comfortable seeing you all. She was concussed and out of it for two weeks, after all. I'm surprised problems haven't shown up before now." Someone called to her from a room down the hall and she bustled off.

"It _is_ because we left, then," Chaz said, moving as quickly as he could down the hall to Saylee's room. "I thought she was getting better..."

"She _told_ us to go," Paul pointed out. "We dint know nuffin' was wrong, did we?"

Saylee was still asleep when they went into her room. A couple of casts had been removed, and she looked alright, but they still crowded nervously around her bed until she woke up. It happened about an hour later, and they probably only noticed it because they were all watching so closely.

When she first opened her eyes they were a little glazed with sleep, but rather than slowly clearing up as she woke up they were abruptly filled with panic. She looked around wildly, suddenly relaxing as she spotted all of them.

"Good, you're all back alright," she sighed in relief. "How'd it go? Did you find Lostelle?" She looked around. "When did we come back to Knot Island?"

"Don't you remember?" Carrie asked with concern. "They told us you had a panic attack and they brought you back here..."

"I... did?" Saylee frowned. "I don't remember."

"Saylee, how do you feel when you first wake up?" Chaz asked. "Since we got here? Have you ever felt odd in the mornings?"

"Well... it takes me a moment for my brain to wake up," Saylee said. "Just for a moment, you know? I can't think where I am or anything. I think. It's only ever for a moment in the morning. I think it's just me waking up..."

"Has it always taken you time to get up in the morning?" Hernan asked. "I know it takes some humans a while, and others are right up..."

"...No, normally I wake right up," Saylee admitted. "I figured it was because it's more relaxing here."

"Well, 'ccording to the bloke on Boon Island, you woke up in the middle of the night an' freaked out," Paul said. "Like you said, didn't know nothin' 'bout where you were or anythin'. Wonder what was different."

"Was it because we weren't there?" Chaz asked dejectedly. "At least one of us has always been out, keeping an eye on you in the night."

"Perhaps seeing us in the morning helped kickstart her brain?" Hernan suggested. "Some people find that memories come to them more easily with a trigger of some sort. And you did say that our strongest memory triggers are those we are close to," he added to Carrie.

"That's true," Carrie said, her face falling. "We're so sorry, Saylee! One of us should have stayed with you!"

"Oh, guys..." Saylee reached out and stroked Chaz' head with one hand, reaching out the other to Carrie, Hernan and Paul. "It's my fault. I should have said I was feeling funny sooner. Don't worry about it. Now we know, right? I can talk to one of the doctors and find out what's wrong and what I can do about it. Don't beat yourselves up, okay? C'mon, tell me what happened on Kin Island!"

"Well, t' be 'onest, those bikers weren't up to much," Paul said. "Right pushovers. Said they left Kanto lookin' for somewhere better..."

{}

Saylee's memory troubles were explained to be an effect of her two-week concussion, which had surprised the doctors by not appearing to have any long-term effects. She was given a few tests to make sure her mind wasn't otherwise affected and Carrie was taught a head massage to rub the hot spring water into Saylee's scalp. Bill was overjoyed to receive the meteorite, and he and Celio were rarely seen outside of the transmit centre that they'd set up. Saylee was starting to grow impatient as days passed, her wounds healed entirely and Bill and Celio still hadn't finished the transmitter. Nearly a week after receiving the meteorite, which they had said was a crucial part, they still weren't finished, though Bill admitted that the weather was a complication; the rain and thunderstorms made it difficult to pick up signals from Kanto.

When Bill came running into the hotel cafeteria, Saylee nearly tripped over her chair as she jumped to her feet. "Have you done it?" She asked. "Have you finished it?"

"We got a signal from Professor Oak's lab!" he said, waving his arm excitedly. "Hurry, it might not last!"

"The Professor?" Chaz said as they hurried out to the transmitter. "He might have Pedro and Miranda with him!"

The screen was flickering, but they could hear the Professor's voice. "_Is Saylee there?_"

"Professor!" Saylee shouted. "Oh wow, I haven't talked to you in _ages_!"

"_Saylee_!" The Professor shouted. "_Thank goodness! You're alive! We were so scared! When the volcano erupted, we thought you'd been killed... Pedro's been looking all over, flying for days on end to search for you... He's felt terribly guilty about dropping you when the blast knocked him into the sea._"

"I'm glad he's alive," Saylee said. "How's Miranda?"

"_Miranda..._" the screen flickered to life for a moment, long enough to show that the Professor looked terribly sad. "_I'm so sorry, Saylee. She was killed in the explosion._"

"No..." The room spun for a moment. Saylee felt Chaz' claws grasp her shoulders to hold her up; she must have staggered. "She's dead? No..." She let the tears fall; what good was it to bottle them up? She couldn't upset Miranda, not anymore.

"Professor, I'll tell you directions to this island," Bill said, stepping forwards. "We can send Saylee out in a boat part of the way, then Chaz can probably fly her far enough to where she can meet Pedro. We can plan a route."

Saylee screwed her eyes shut, tuning out the talk of directions and route planning as she thought of Miranda. She focused on first buying her from that cheap peddler, the moment she evolved, her promise to Melvin, all their fights together. She wanted to fit it all firmly into her head, so that it could never slip away.

"Is that so?" Bill said. "Alright. We'll wait for their arrival. You'll tell them the way?"

"_Pidgeot have a keen sense of direction, and I don't think Pedro will stop until he's there now that we know Saylee's alive,_" the Professor said. "_Do you have that, Saylee?_"

"I'm sorry, Professor, I wasn't paying attention," Saylee said, wiping her eyes. "What was that?"

"_I... Saylee, are you..._" the screen was crackling again and the sound was fading.

"Professor?" Saylee called. "Professor!"

"It's no good, we've lost signal again," Celio said, shaking his head and fiddling with the control panel. "Did you catch what he was saying, Bill?"

"Apparently, a friend of yours left you something when he heard about Miranda's death," Bill said. "Blue...?"

"Blue did?" Saylee asked. "What did he leave?"

"A powerful water-type, the Professor said," Bill explained. "I can't remember what he said it was, but apparently it often swims for months on end while migrating, so it should be able to handle swimming for a few days to get here and take you back home. It'll be four or five days, though."

"That's... okay," Saylee sighed. "Shall we go down to the beach, guys? I'm sure Miranda would have loved the sea here."

"I barely knew 'er," Paul said. "Want to tell me a bit about 'er?"

"Sure," Saylee said. "Well, I didn't catch her- I bought her from this trader..."

Paul hopped up into Saylee's arms and winked over her shoulder at Chaz. Saylee visibly perked up, just a little, at the chance to tell Paul all about Miranda's greatest moments. Chaz winked back, grateful.

He was looking forward to seeing his best friend again, and relieved to be able to continue on their quest. Hopefully, Blue had had more luck than they had.

{}

"I wish I could go down to the beach to watch out," Saylee sighed, looking out of the window.

"It's bucketing with rain, Saylee," Hernan said, without looking around. He and Carrie were sparring a little, his fists against her bone club. The two had become almost inseparable in the past few days, Saylee had noticed. Paul had evidently noticed, too, judging by the number of bone clubs and fire punches he was drawing with his comments.

"I hope they're making it through this alright," Chaz said. He was watching out of the window just as impatiently as Saylee, but the driving rain was keeping him inside.

"Hey, what's that?" Saylee said, leaning against the window to peer out. Some kind of light was visible on the horizon, dancing towards them.

"That's an aurora, dear," Nurse Joy said, looking over her. "There was one the day you appeared. Beautiful, aren't they?"

"That mean somethin' else is comin'?" Paul asked, hopping up onto the window sill next to Saylee.

"I'm going down to the beach to check," Saylee said, running back to her room for the raincoat she'd been given.

"Saylee!" Chaz called. "You can't go out in that!"

"Just for a little, to see who it is," Saylee called back, running out before he could reach out to stop her. Hernan caught up to her a few moments later, also wearing a raincoat.

"Don't go alone, at least," he said. "We are only staying out for a few minutes. I will drag you back inside if you try to stay out too long."

"Would've thought a warrior like you would be more respectful of his trainer," Saylee said, running down the muddy road. Hernan had to grab her arm more than once as she slipped. They couldn't go down to the beach, as the waves were high and rough enough to swamp it, but they were able to stop in the garden overlooking the beach to watch the aurora dancing closer.

"I think there is something in the water," Hernan said, peering out into the rain. "Can you see it? Below the aurora." He reached out to point the way, but not having fingers he couldn't point particularly accurately. It took Saylee a few more minutes to see that something was indeed swimming below the aurora.

"Hernan, try using Ice Punch to signal to it," she suggested. Hernan nodded and punched into the air, turning some of the rain to snow and briefly creating a patch of glittering white among the rain. The aurora faded as whatever it was swimming turned towards them.

"Go tell the others that something's coming," Saylee said. Her heart leapt as something peeled away from the swimming shape and flew into the air, making towards them. "It's Pedro! PEDRO!" She jumped up and down, waving her arms and shrieking his name happily until she slipped on the mud again and fell onto her butt. "Owww..."

"Son of a scavenger... still can't leave ya alone for five minutes, huh, doll?"

The rain seemed to stop over Saylee's head as Pedro's wings arched over her. He was completely bedraggled and his crest and tail feathers were both much shorter than Saylee remembered, but she was just happy to see him again and scrambled to her feet to fling her arms around his neck.

"I missed you," she muttered into his soaking feathers. "I was so worried about you..."

"Sorry, doll," Pedro said morosely. "Sorry I dropped ya. I never shoulda done that. And Miranda..."

"I heard, it's not your fault," Saylee said. "I'm grateful that you're still here. Chaz'll be happy to see you, too. I think he's missed getting to smack you around."

"We better get inside, then," Pedro said, looking back over his shoulder. "First, lemme introduce ya to this swish tailfeather. Your pal Blue sent him for ya after hearin' about Miranda. His name's Lorenzo, and gotta hand it to him, the guy can swim."

Saylee peered under his wing at the large blue Pokémon that had floated up to shore. He was very larger, larger even than Pedro or Chaz, and a beautiful deep blue that seemed to glow through the rain. He had a long neck and a grey, rocklike shell on his back. He elegantly bowed his head down to her, peering at her with large brown eyes.

"So you are the lady Saylee?" he said smoothly. "I am Lorenzo. It is a pleasure to meet you at last. The beak has not stilled about you and your comrades the whole way here."

"Shut it, pretty boy," Pedro said. He reached one of his claws up to Saylee. "Here's his pokéball. Put 'im away. _Please_."

"When the weather clears and it's time to leave, I'll introduce you to the others," Saylee promised, taking the pokéball. "It's very nice to meet you, Lorenzo. Thank you for coming out in this weather to find me."

"Not at all!" Lorenzo said pleasantly, bowing his head politely. "This weather is a joy to me, I assure you. I look forward to meeting my new comrades."

Saylee returned him and starting leading Pedro up the path to the Pokémon Centre. "Does he always talk like that?" she asked.

"Sheltered lab boy," Pedro grunted. "Never been out on open water before. He's lovin' it. Says he's a Lapras, whatever that is."

"I'll look him up on the Pokédex later," Saylee said, waving as she spotted Chaz daring to stick his head out of the hospital door to watch for them and roaring happily when he spotted Pedro. "C'mon! I want to hear what's been going on!"

"Not a lot, doll," Pedro said, "But I got one huge bit o' news for ya..."

{}

_Sorry it's been forever, but when the drinking finally ended it was time for workworkworkworkworkworkwork... I started my job just as most of the people working in the same shop are going on their summer holidays, so I'm working all kinds of overtime. Not that I mind, because I love the shop and overtime is time-and-a-half, going up to Double Bubble over the Jubilee. _

_So I'm hoping to get back on track with writing, but I will probably still be a little slow on the update since I can't sit up until my preferred hours of the morning when I have to be up at seven to catch a train :P For now, here's the slightly crappy conclusion of my sudden panic attack of realizing that I had given Saylee a major head injury with no actual apparent effects :p At least we have Magical Moltres Water (tm) to make everything better! :D I'll shut up and get on to the serious bit of the story now._

_(The other thing that has been taking up masses of my brainspace is The Avengers. I love that movie beyond all rationality. I have seen it three times and it is still not enough. I NEEDS MY DVD AND THE PROMISED HALF HOUR OF DELETED SCENES AND I NEEDS IT NOW.)_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	42. Chapter 42

_Pokémon: 19 Deaths: 17_

Saylee managed to erect a passable waterproof tent on Lorenzo's solid back as they sailed off into the torrential rain. Hernan and Carrie sat out with her, as a kind of guard, helping Lorenzo fend off wild Pokémon and helping Saylee fend off night terrors. Therapy at the hospital had helped Saylee vastly, but sometimes she still woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't quite connect. It was hard to tell the difference between night and day during the three days that they sailed through the rain, as the clouds were so thick that day was as dark as night, but Lorenzo had a good time sense. He could tell from the waves.

Once it was drier and they could hear themselves talk, Saylee gave Lorenzo her potted history with Team Rocket, including the desecration of Lavender and the details of the invasion of Saffron.

"This is the man behind Silph's sudden change?" Lorenzo said, suddenly infuriated. "Some scientists that I knew were harmed, one was killed. They were not unkind and did not deserve such punishment for refusing to abandon their search for knowledge to create weaponry. I am not an experienced warrior, Lady Saylee, but I wish to accompany you to slay this man."

"Well, I'm not going to _kill_ him," Saylee said, making a face. "That's not really the plan." Hernan gave Carrie a shifty-eyed look. She waved her bone threateningly and rolled over. "But he does train mainly earth-types, so I think you will be _very_ effective against him."

"Just keep to our guidance and all will be well," Hernan promised.

"I'm surprised Blue didn't go after Giovanni himself," Carrie mumbled sleepily, unable to ignore the conversation and sleep.

"Maybe he had a lead to Red and didn't want to let it go," Saylee suggested hopefully. "Pete only got a brief glimpse as he flew over Viridian, after all."

"Well, all the better," Carrie said, cracking an eye open. "He won't know that he's been spotted. We'll have him."

{}

"Those things are awful unpleasant," Lorenzo said, looking repulsed as he lifted a persistent Tentacool out of the water with Psychic for Hernan to Thunderpunch easily.

"There's nothing to be done about them, the water's too polluted," Saylee said. "If there was just a way to purify them… Grimer suck up pollution pretty well, but once they suck up enough they become Muk, which just poison everything they touch."

"I must admit," Lorenzo said, "while I am enjoying being out of the lab and being permitted to stretch my flippers properly, I do miss the tidiness. Though it is not as tidy as it was."

"As it was?" Saylee asked.

"I spent a long time in my pokéball," Lorenzo explained. "After the long sleep, the laboratory that I awoke in had been stripped, and some of the professors were different. The ones that I recognized did not remember me. And all of them sang the tongue of my species, which was odd."

"It happened to everybody about fifteen years ago," Saylee says. "Amnesia and what humans call "the gift of gab" in a onner. We think it's due to the powers of some kind of psychic super-Pokémon that was being created on Cinnabar Island. Its powers went haywire, killed a lot of people and sorta brain-damaged the rest of the country. For some reason, the amnesia didn't reach the Sevii Islands, but the gab did."

"Perhaps they were separate incidents?" Lorenzo suggested. "If this psychic was stronger or more controlled the second time, they could well have extended their range. It is a logical hypothesis."

Saylee giggled. "Hypothesis? Those scientists certainly rubbed off on you."

"Well, they raised me," Lorenzo said. "They used to have a machine which translated their speech for me. I suppose a machine would theoretically have more formal speech patterns than a living creature."

"I don't mind," Saylee said with a smile. "I've never met such a gentleman!"

"Have you ever seen another Lapras?" Hernan asked. Lorenzo shook his head.

"I have seen laboratory images, but nothing more," he said. "I do not suppose that my kind are native to the seas around Kanto, or at least, have not swum here for some time." He frowned down at the clouded water. "These waters are not enticing. I thought I could perhaps sense the remnant of a migration trail between here and the islands before, but it was so faint that it was clearly long unused."

"The Pokédex says that you're extremely rare," Saylee said. "I wonder if that's why you were taken to that lab. Perhaps they wanted to know more about your species so that they could help protect them? You're certainly among the more inherently powerful water-types out there."

"You flatter me," Lorenzo said smoothly. "I would be happy to think that there are more Lapras out there and that they are protected. It would be a great honour to know that I have done such a service to my race."

"At the same time… they were trying to breed an abnormally powerful Pokémon on Cinnabar," Hernan pointed out. "They could have been looking for a way to isolate and replicate your psychic and ice powers, as well."

Lorenzo frowned. "Oh dear. I would rather not be a party to that. It sounds awful violent."

"You did volunteer to help us storm Viridian City," Saylee reminded him. "You know that you don't have to, of course."

"I gave my word to come to your assistance, and I shall keep it," Lorenzo insisted. "If words now hold such power, how dare I break mine?"

{}

Several days later, Viridian was quiet. Everyone was inside. Things were a little stricter suddenly, with the upper command of the gang back from wherever they'd been. Most people were inside the greenhouses, focusing on what they were trying to grow. So nobody saw a couple of lone figures sneak in the back of the main building.

Saylee and Carrie walked straight into a large group of escaped Rockets doling out several pokéballs between them. They didn't seem have escaped imprisonment long ago; they were disoriented and regrouping. And they'd regrouped here.

"Where's Giovanni?" Saylee asked.

"It's HER!" One man yelled, pointing accusingly at Saylee. Several Rhyhorn, Sandslash and Nidoking materialized in front of them.

"Ladies…" Saylee said, nodding to Carrie, and throwing five pokéballs into the air. "…and gentlemen. _Get 'em._"

{}

Giovanni could hear the sounds of mayhem, of the few men he'd been able to break being soundly thrashed, and immediately knew what was going on. He'd been dreading this for four months. He'd thought he'd had a respite after escaping Celadon, but he wasn't making that mistake twice. He'd trained hard, he had his most powerful Pokémon with him this time, he'd had things packed and prepared to flee at any moment for months.

He locked the door to the back rooms. He wasn't going to run, not from this girl, this _child_ who had had the _temerity_ to interfere with his search twice. He had built a great organization, something that could have united this country, _ruled_ it, and this girl had _dared_ to get in the way…

No. It was his own mistakes, not her power. He'd let himself get distracted before, lost sight of his original goals. But he was prepared now. He'd gotten back on track, returned to his training, and this time, no _child_ was going to get in his way.

His Rhyhorn were already charging by the time the last door burst open.

{}

Saylee almost froze up at the sight of the two Rhyhorn charging, remembering Vick's death. But it wasn't going to be the same. She wasn't going to see any more death.

"Sink 'em!" she ordered. A strip of floor in front of her suddenly iced up and Lorenzo slid into the way.

"Shall we see what happens when the unstoppable force meets an immovable object?" he said, blasting a huge wave of water at them. The Rhyhorn kept going for a moment, propelled by their own forward momentum, but wave after wave of surf knocked them down and out. "Heh. Not so unstoppable after all, I see."

"Dugtrio!" Giovanni ordered. Lorenzo was suddenly knocked into the air by some unseen blow. The ground below him bore a large hole and no other sign of his assailant. Lorenzo landed and began thickly icing over the ground beneath him, but he still failed to predict the next attack.

"If he can go two on one, so can we," Saylee said, turning to where the rest of her Pokémon were handling the remaining Rockets. "Carrie! He's here!"

Hernan punched out the Nidoking that Carrie was grappling with. "Go!" he yelled. Carrie ran over to Saylee, dodging around a Machamp that was desperately trying to catch Pedro. As Lorenzo was knocked into the air a third time, there was a brief moment where the triumvirate of brown Pokémon was visible above the ground. At that moment, Carrie's bone struck, dazing them.

"Now, Lorenzo!" Saylee called. He immediately blasted another beam of ice at the exposed and dazed Dugtrio. They slumped, unconscious.

"Let's try evening the odds, shall we?" Giovanni said, releasing a Nidoking and Nidoqueen.

"Yeah, like you ever play fair," Saylee said. "So neither will I. We've picked up a few tricks to prepare for you. Lorenzo, Ice Beam! Carrie, Blizzard!"

"What?" Giovanni said. "Earthquake, quick!"

His two Nido slammed the ground, shaking it violently, but neither Lorenzo nor Carrie were terribly effected. They kept their ground, Lorenzo firing his Ice Beam into the complicated whirling of Carrie's bone club, flinging innumerable shards of ice and a blast of icy air at Nidoking and Nidoqueen. The two were frozen in moments. Carrie knocked Nidoqueen out with her club, while Lorenzo bodyslammed Nidoking through a wall.

"…Marowak should not be capable of that," Giovanni said, narrowing his eyes on Carrie as she flicked some shards of ice off of her bone. "None of the captured ones that we trained…"

"You need to have more respect for the Pokémon that you train, Giovanni," Saylee said coldly. "That combo was Carrie's suggestion. Pokémon can be a lot more versatile than you think, if you train them with care. But you've always been obsessed with complete control, with quick power…"

"Of course," Giovanni said, smiling slightly. "How else was I to discover the secret of the West? That power hidden in the mountains?"

Saylee started. The mountains, where Blue and Red had both gone and vanished… "What's out there?" She demanded.

"Who knows?" Giovanni laughed. "But it is closely guarded. I could not even come close to matching the might of the first guardian, and more were behind him…" he smirked. "If I hadn't fled when I had, they would have killed me, as they've no doubt killed your friend."

"What?" Saylee said. Carrie leapt at Giovanni, but he dodged, jumping out of the hole that Nidoking had made in the wall.

"You're not getting away!" Carrie yelled angrily, but he was already on his escape Fearow. She tried flinging her bone club after them, but it didn't reach. Carrie screeched at the sky in rage while Saylee clutched her stomach, feeling like she was going to be violently sick.

"Saylee?" Chaz asked, appearing at the door. The others had gathered, finished with the Rockets and drawn by Carrie's scream of rage. "What's wrong?"

"Giovanni told her that anyone who has gone to the mountains to the West is already dead," Lorenzo said sorrowfully.

"But… Sam and Blue went to the mountains…" Chaz said, immediately putting his claws on Saylee's shoulders to hold her up. "Following Ben and Red… Saylee, are you alright?"

"Yeah," Saylee said, breathing deeply. "Yeah, because you know what? Giovanni said that the trainers living up there would have killed him if he hadn't run away. Only the losers end up dead. Blue sure as hell isn't a loser, and neither is Red. They're alive, and they're out there, and we're going after them."

"To the mountains that folk tend ta die in?" Paul said sarcastically. "That's a plan and a half."

"Only th' losers die, sparks!" Pedro said brightly. "C'mon, you ain't sayin' that's gonna be you, are ya?"

"Hell no!" Paul responded indignantly, firing a spark at Pedro. "Bring it on!"

"This is rather exciting," Lorenzo said. "I wonder what the secret being hidden up there is?"

"You know, there's every possibility that your brother is one of those guarding whatever's hidden up there now," Hernan put in. "We ought to go find out, if only to know, one way or the other."

"Giovanni flew west, too," Carrie said, tapping her club menacingly. "He might have some bolt-hole out there that he prepared back when he was exploring out there before. We can bring him back. My sisters are rather anxious to bring him to justice."

"Let's go, Saylee," Chaz said gently. Saylee gave him a hug, smiling broadly at her Pokémon. "Thanks, you guys," she said gently. "Thank you. Let's go."

{}

_So sometime in the last month my Avengers feels crossbred with my mythology feels and the resultant eight-legged horse baby plunnies have been running rampant, which is why this chapter was awhile coming. I have most of the Elite Four written out already, I'm just majorly blocking getting there because every time I try to sit down and write all I can write is Avengers :x (I regret nothing.)_

_But I have gotten back on track with this by writing the first few chapters of the SoulSilver-based sequel, and banned myself from posting more of my Avengers/Norse myth serial fic until I post more of this :x So yeah, more Nuzlocke fic incoming!_

_Also, if anybody's on Pokéfarm, the utterly fabulous Key-Chan started a fanart contest based on this very fic! She's offering shinies and rare legendaries as prizes for top-pieces, and it's going to be a long-running contest with new challenges on a regular basis. I'm going to ask for permission to upload the best pieces to my DeviantArt, or maybe I'll make a group- assuming anyone enters :x If they do, that will make my life. This is really the biggest reason that my plunnies have been reanimated._

_On to the Elite Four! Sorry it's taken so long to get here, and thanks for sticking with!_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	43. Chapter 43

_Pokémon: 19 Deaths: 17_

Saylee huddled into Pedro's neck as they flew along a valley between two mountains. She'd seen them, of course, always looming to the west, but she'd never been out among them so she'd never truly appreciated how _big _they were. The hills east of Cerulean were tiny in comparison. The valley floor below her was lost in heavy mist; the tops of the mountains brushed the clouds and some were tipped with snow. She couldn't even see the top of the biggest one.

"It oughta be 'round here somewheres," Pedro called, banking and flying closer to one of the mountains. "This is as far as Pete's directions go. I don't see nothin', though."

"If anybody spots anything, it'll be you," Saylee responded. The burnt-off ends of Pedro's crest brushed her face. "I missed you, you know. I'm sorry about your crest."

"Coulda been worse," Pedro said flippantly. "Fair trade for getting' ta fly like this, doll. Ya think I ever woulda gone this far on my own?"

"I'd be astonished if you hadn't," Saylee laughed. "You should have more faith in yourself, Pedro."

"Soon as you do, doll," Pedro said, skimming over the barren rocks. "Y'know, there's somethin' funny up 'bout that mist."

"What about it?" Saylee asked, peering at the rolling white below her.

"Well, the fact that it's comin' outta that cave," Pedro said, circling the cave in question. The crevice in the rock was indeed emitting soft clouds of mist. "Don't seem entirely natural ta me."

"Me neither," Saylee said. "We should probably take a look, then."

{}

The cave was dark and very dank. The mist rolled along at the height of Saylee's knees, so thick it almost felt like wading. Lorenzo took the lead, easily able to turn the thick mist into an icy sheet for him to slide along on. Chaz crouched on his back, tail held high to keep it out of the damp. Saylee, Hernan and Carrie followed close behind, with Pedro at the back, watching the dancing shadows for any threat. Paul was sitting high on his back, zapping the occasional Golbat out of the air. It really said something for how far his control had come that Pedro allowed him to sit on his back.

"This section's collapsed," Chaz noted. "There's a small gap, but…" he waved his tail towards the gap in question, through which the mist was rolling.

"Carrie, you can move some of those, right?" Saylee said. Carrie nodded and got to work with her club shifting rocks. Hernan helped her pull some out of the way.

"There are other tunnels down there," Pedro noted, looking off to their right. "We could try going around an' find that mist again…"

"Why're we even followin' that damp shite anyways?" Paul grumbled. "What's it gotta do wi' yer mate Blue?"

"Sam can produce mist," Chaz said. "The Professor used to say that it was a very unusual talent of hers, not very common among the Squirtle line at all."

"This mist is obviously unnatural," Saylee adds. "It could be a trail for us. We have to check it out."

"There!" Carrie said, hefting several rocks aside. "Is that big enough, Lorenzo?"

"Do mind your head, Chaz," Lorenzo said, ducking his head. Chaz clambered off of his back and ducked his head to walk through the gap, holding his tail high. Saylee, Pedro and Paul followed easily.

Suddenly, there was ice everywhere, not just under Lorenzo; the walls and ceiling glittered with it, the floor was slick and translucent. The ceiling was much higher, and the space suddenly wider. Saylee drew closer to Chaz, slipping up onto his back. The floor melted under his huge feet, so he could walk safely. Pedro spread his massive wings and flew low over the ice with Paul crouched on his back, but Lorenzo slid happily across the ice with Carrie and Hernan perched on his shell.

"Who are you?"

They stopped short as the voice rung out across the cavern. Far away, next to an uniced tunnel forwards, stood a woman. Near her was a pool of icy water, which rippled, shadows moving in the water under their feet. The woman was tall, red-haired, surely underdressed for the cold in a red minidress and blue jacket, and next to her was a squat blonde in a red dress ; not a woman but a Jynx. The human woman straightened her glasses, watching Saylee with dispassionate curiosity.

"My name is Saylee," she said, sitting up on Chaz's neck so as to be more visible but not dismounting. "Who are _you_?"

"I am Lorelei of the Elite Guardians," the woman said imperiously. A white figure flipped out of the water and landed in front of her, sliding across the ice less elegantly than in the water. A Dewgong.

"I'm looking for someone," Saylee began, but Lorelei raised her arm for silence.

"If there is anything you wish for, defeat me and earn it, Saylee," she said coolly. "Is that not how things are in this world?" the flat, raised hand became a finger pointing at Saylee, and Dewgong followed the silent direction, opening its mouth and blasting spikes of ice at the group. They scattered, Lapras skidding off one way, Pedro and Chaz flying the other.

"Paul, Thunder!" Saylee commanded. Paul leapt down from Pedro's back, digging his sharp tail into the ice to hold himself steady, and shot lightning at Dewgong. In a flash of light, it was unconscious on the ground.

"Alright!" Paul yelped, grinning cockily, his usual gentle nature burned away by the battle. A Cloyster and Slowbro rose from the water in turn, and fell just the same in short order. The fourth, though, was a Lapras. The mist that had been rolling from the ice was actually coming from her.

"_This_ is the source of the mist?" Saylee said, feeling her heart sink.

"Don't give up hope, Saylee," Chaz muttered. "This is probably one of the trainers that Giovanni mentioned. You remember, the unusually powerful trainers in the mountains?"

"You mean the ones that'll kill us if we lose?" Saylee replied quietly.

"…on the bright side, she hasn't seemed all that powerful against Paul," Chaz said uncertainly.

"Take care, Paul!" Lorenzo warned. "I can tell you personally that it will take more than a small zap to bring down one of our kind!" Paul nodded, zapping the enemy extra hard, actually squeezing his cheeks with effort.

"I wish you were wrong sometimes," He panted, watching the enemy Lapras absorb his lightning; not without damage, clearly, but she was still fighting.

"Is that all you've got?" she taunted.

"Body slam," Lorelei commanded, sounding calm despite the fact that it was the first order she'd gotten in for a while. Her Lapras shot across the ice, fast and graceful on her natural terrain, her considerable bulk slamming into Paul hard. Paul yanked his tail out of the ice, losing his anchor but preventing himself from nearly tearing off his tail with whiplash.

"Hit it again, now!" Saylee commanded. Nodding, Paul whipped his tail to wrap around Lapras' neck before he flew too far away. Then he _zapped_.

With a scream, the enemy Lapras collapsed, the fourth stunned body to litter the ice.

"Jeanette," Lorelei commanded calmly. Her Jynx sashayed forwards, past her fallen comrades, as coolly calm as her mistress.

"Paul, pull back," Saylee ordered, and as he hopped onto Pedro's back she leaned forwards and whispered into Chaz's ear, "she's mainly an ice type. You ready to do this?"

"Bring it," Chaz snorted, smoke rolling from his nostrils as he banked his internal fires. "Flamethrower?"

"By all means," Saylee said, but the first blow didn't knock Jeanette out; as she reappeared from the flames, she winked, a wave of pink floating from her and engulfing them. Chaz sighed happily, but Saylee just coughed at the smell of the pheromones. Looking around, she saw that all of her Pokémon had dreamy looks on their faces, save Carrie, who was furiously whacking at all of them (especially Hernan) with her bone club.

"Attract! Dammit!" Saylee seethed. "Carrie! Get out there and Fire Blast that bitch!"

"With pleasure," Carrie growled, shoving Hernan over and spinning her bone, building up a rush of air. As she dodged Jeanette's clumsy slaps, she allowed the bone to strike off of her skull helmet, creating a spark which was drawn into the rush of air, setting it alight…

When the fire died, Jeanette and the other four were floating in warm water, charred and unconscious. The rest of the Pokémon had recovered, and it was a rather sheepish Hernan who reached out a hand to pull Carrie back onto Lorenzo's back. Pedro and Chaz flew over the meltwater to the tunnel mouth, where Lorelei stood, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed as if she'd been there all day.

"You're better than I thought," she said smoothly, "and your Lapras is well-cared for." Lorenzo blushed as she stroked his head. "Very well. Who do you seek?"

"A boy a year older than me," Saylee said. "Name of Blue. Spiky brown hair, green eyes, uses a Blastoise, an Alakazam, a Pidgeot…"

"Yes, he came through three months ago," Lorelei said. "Very talented. I wonder how far he got. Before, very few have got past me. I saw some of their bodies removed. Some ran…"

"Did a boy named Red ever come through?" Saylee asked quickly. "He's my brother. He had black hair, funny brown eyes that look red in the right light… he had a Venusaur…"

"He, I remember as well," Lorelei said with a nod. "I remember him well. He did not flee, nor was he killed… Never did I know what became of him, but he did pass here."

"Then Red and Ben might still be here!" Chaz said excitedly. "Blue and Sam too!"

"That's wonderful!" Hernan said, patting Saylee on the shoulder.

"Did another man come through here?" Carrie asked. "An adult human named Giovanni?"

"The only human that I have seen in months beside my comrades is your friend Blue," Lorelei said, pushing her glasses up her nose. "If you'll excuse me, I must heal my Pokémon. I do appreciate you not killing them."

"I don't believe in killing," Saylee said. Lorelei smirked.

"A noble sentiment," she said coolly, "but it will not stay my comrades' hands. They will do all they can to prevent your entry to the complex."

"Why?" Saylee asked. "What are you guarding? What's hidden here?"

Lorelei smirked again, holding her finger to her lips. "Now, why should I tell you that?" she said, slipping into the water and swimming out to her floating Pokémon. "If you don't know, then all the more reason not to tell you. Go on past Bruno, if you can…"

Saylee looked at the oncoming tunnel. It was small and tight, and as she stepped into it the temperature suddenly shot up.

"Carrie, Hernan, Paul, stay close," she asked quietly. "Chaz, Pedro, Lorenzo, I'll have to return you."

"No prob, doll," Pedro said, nipping her cheek. "We're here when you need us."

Saylee returned her Pokémon and stepped into the tunnel.

Lorelei dove underwater, to where a small colony of Dewgong and Seel were resting. She woke some up, and they swam up to share their energy with Diana, their injured sister, and from there Lily and Jeanette.

"Did they make it?" Lily asked as she drifted awake. "Oh, good. Her Lapras was quite a hunk!"

"She's a talented trainer, that one," Lorelei mused, "and very kind. She might make it to Lance."

"Kindness is not an advantage in this world," Jeanette admonished. "Especially not if she gets past Lance. That Red boy was kind, too."

"She asked about him," Lorelei said, rubbing Sara's head as the Slowbro dopily climbed up onto Lily's back. "She has a similar face. I suppose they're related. How sweet of her to come looking for him."

"Oh, dear," Jeanette sighed. "Did you tell her about him?"

"I told her that he came in," Lorelei said, looking up the passage. "Which was really more information than I promised her in the first place. No need to tell her any more."

"Bruno may tell her," Jeanette pointed out. "The man's awful honest."

"No, he's just not skilled enough to deceive a psychic like you," Lorelei laughed. "Besides, withholding the truth isn't quite the same as lying, is it?"

{}

_I wrote this all day at work just to get it out for the birthday of _THE FANTABULOUS KEY-CHAN! _Bonne anniversaire pour toi! *sings* Breeder of awesome plunnies, creator of awesome art, and general all-around awesome person! I'm proud to have known you for another year and hope to know you for many more :D_

_The beginning of the Elite Four… and yes, Marowak can learn Fire Blast by TM, as well as Blizzard as mentioned in the last chapter. You cannot imagine my joy when I discovered this :DDDDD This first battle was a curbstomp, but as for the rest…_

_I didn't catch anything in Victory Road. I accidentally killed the first Machop D:_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	44. Chapter 44

_Pokémon: 19 Deaths: 17_

It wasn't far past Lorelei's cave that the tunnels heated up sharply. Saylee started fanning herself with her hat, and she could see Paul flapping the broad end of his tail in front of his face. Carrie was looking uncomfortable too, but Hernan was oddly composed.

"I have trained in warm environments before," Hernan said. "It's actually ideal. You expend a lot more energy, sweat a bit more, and then when you're working out in a cooler area, it's amazing what you can do. Train yourself with a handicap, and you reach hidden reserves of power that you didn't know how to find otherwise."

"That's an interesting idea," Carrie said thoughtfully. "Kind of wish I'd done some training like that before coming here."

"You're all as tough as they come," Saylee said. "I wouldn't trust anyone in the world more."

"That is a noble sentiment indeed!"

Saylee jumped in surprise at the voice that boomed down the tunnel. A few steps more took her into a large cavern. Unlike Lorelei's, this one looked to be deliberately hewn out of the single, continuous tunnel. The man standing at the far end of it wasn't actually much taller than Saylee, but he looked to be about quadruple her weight, all of it muscle, almost all of it visible due to the fact that he wasn't wearing anything except a tatty old pair of pants. Oddly, they looked like slacks instead of sweatpants. The man had unruly brown hair tied back in a ponytail and a smirk.

"The next _guardian_, are ya?" Paul asked cockily. The man nodded.

"I have been protecting this place since before you were born, girl," the man said. "I am Bruno. I allow no ignoble soul past this place. I see that your Pokémon and you share a proud bond, but nevertheless, I cannot let you pass freely through here."

"I've got to fight you first, I get it," Saylee said, rolling her eyes. "I'm Saylee. Shall we get on with it?"

"We shall," Bruno said with a nod, picking up a pokéball from some kind of bowl on the floor. "If you are noble, then your Pokémon and mine shall fight one on one. Do you accept?"

"Why not," Saylee said, picking up Hernan, Carrie and Paul's pokéballs. "I guess I'll have to put you away, guys. Is that okay?"

"This man seems to be a _noble_ warrior," Hernan said, smirking a little at Bruno's preoccupation with honour and nobility.

"We will come at your call, Saylee," Carrie promised. Saylee returned them all and stood before Bruno with the six pokéballs in her hands.

"Select your first warrior now, Saylee!" Bruno said, throwing out his first pokéball. A huge Onix appeared, towering over Saylee. It was probably what had caved out the hall.

"Easily!" Saylee said, releasing Lorenzo. He shuddered at the heat of the hall and icy particles immediately began to form and melt on his skin, keeping him liquidated. "Lorenzo, surf!"

"Rock Tomb, Obert!" Bruno commanded. The huge Onix smashed his tail into the ceiling, causing stone to rain down on Lorenzo. He blasted it aside with a wall of water that engulfed Obert. Onix didn't deal well with water, and Obert was no exception. He was unconscious by the time the water receded. Bruno was hanging onto his bowl of pokéballs, shaking water out of his hair.

"How refreshing!" He laughed, returning Obert. "Hiro, I am in need of your skills!"

Saylee gasped at the sight of another Hitmonchan. He looked to be about the same strength as Hernan, though it was hard to tell as Hernan's musculature was far lower in proportion to his actual strength. The power of fighting-type Pokémon was that their appearance could be deceptive to their strength.

"Lorenzo, we're doing this one-on-one, and right now I need Pedro," Saylee explained.

"As you wish, Saylee," Lorenzo said with a graceful bow of his head. "I would not mind a break from this environment." Saylee returned him and released Pedro.

"Pedro, you and this Hitmonchan, one on one?" Saylee said. The giant bird looked at Hiro with an evil glint in his eye.

"Me on none, ya mean!" He said, vanishing in a blast of wind. He was on Hiro before the warrior could react, sweeping his legs out from under him with one wing and jabbing up with his beak as Hiro fell, striking him hard in the neck. Hiro collapsed with a gurgle of pain.

"Booyah!" Pedro hooted. "Bring it on, big guy! That the best you got?"

"Far from it," Bruno said calmly, returning Hiro. "It is to you now, Mark!" He threw out his third pokéball. The Pokémon that appeared was about Bruno's height but even more overmuscled, a fact emphasized by the fact that he had four arms. His skin was grey and almost translucent, as if it was strained too tight over his muscles. A Machamp.

"Another fighting-type, Pedro," Saylee said. "Aerial Ace him again!"

"My pleasure, doll," Pedro said, striking out at Mark almost invisibly fast. The blow visibly crippled the sturdy fighter, and he fell to his knees, his arms dropping at his side.

Only to one knee, though. Only two of his arms fell. The other two reached out, grabbing Pedro's wings and holding him fast. Pedro squawked in shock. The other two arms suddenly struck up, smacking into Pedro's neck with a horrific _crack_.

Mark threw Pedro at Saylee's feet. He lay there limply and did not move.

{}

"_You want me to fight for you?" Pedro said, looking a bit surprised. Saylee nodded._

"_When you're stronger," she explained. "Of course, I wouldn't want to force you."_

"_Don't worry, doll, it sounds like a plan to me," Pedro said, preening. "I help you find your brother, you feed me. I like it."_

"_It's worth it, Saylee. All of it. It has to be. Make it worth all of their lives._"

"_We're with you, doll."_

{}

Saylee knelt at Pedro's side, digging her hands into the soft feathers. He was still warm, but his eyes wouldn't open, and he _wasn't moving._

"I apologize, but that Pidgeot was clearly to be trouble to me," Bruno said sorrowfully. "I will not hold back in preventing you from passing."

"I let your Pokémon live," Saylee growled. "I didn't _kill_ yours!"

"And I will not force to fight them when they cannot," Bruno said sternly, "but we never agreed upon such considerations. Will you choose another warrior, or abandon this battle now?"

Saylee felt sick. She couldn't take it, not losing someone else. She wanted to give up, because if she would Pedro would wake up and yell at her, he _would_, he'd _hate _it if she gave up-

"Chaz!" She shouted, releasing her very first Pokémon. He appeared at her side and looked down at her and Pedro. First he looked confused, then horrified.

"Pedro…?" he asked, leaning down to sniff at his fallen friend. Saylee shook her head.

"He's gone, Chaz," she said roughly. "That Machamp killed him. We need to take him out to go forwards." Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she watched Chaz faced down the murderous enemy, so thick and fast that they didn't have time to dry, but she was _angry_ and now so was Chaz. "We are going to pass! Chaz, you know what to do!"

"Avenge," Chaz snarled, shooting forwards and striking Mark with his wings. Mark tried to grab at him again, but he was injured and weakening and missed. Chaz struck him again, and again. Mark fell unconscious and Chaz stood over him, fire in his eyes and dripping from his mouth.

"Stop, Chaz," Saylee croaked. It was the hardest thing she'd ever said. "You'll kill him… stop."

"He killed Pedro," Chaz growled furiously. Saylee nodded. Even in the overheated room, she could feel living warmth fading from Pedro's body.

"Pedro'd be pissed off if we killed him, though," Saylee sniffed. Chaz slowly stepped back, still looking furious.

"Hito," Bruno said, returning Machamp and releasing a springy-legged Hitmonlee. "Hi Jump Kick!"

"If you've still got rage to work off, Chaz…" Saylee said, burying her face in Pedro's feathers and listening to vengeance ensuing at Chaz's wings. She could hear Hito get hit hard, hard enough to smash him into a wall. She heard stones raining down, and heard the buzz of energy as Bruno returned the fallen Hitmonlee. There was another static sound as Bruno's last Pokémon was released. It was an Onix. It ought to have had the advantage.

It didn't stand a chance.

Chaz's wings turned to steel, his rage still burning. He smashed the enemy apart.

For all his rage, Chaz's claws were gentle as he placed them on Saylee's arm, leaning down to nudge Pedro gently. There was no response. There never would be.

"You idiot," he muttered roughly. "You complete and utter tailfeather. Can't you see she's crying? _Now_ I'm mad at you…"

"I'm not crying," Saylee said, straightening up and hugging Chaz. "Not anymore. Pedro would hate it." She turned to glare at Bruno. "Are you going to try to stop me passing?"

"With all I have," Bruno declared, raising his fists. "Including myself. I shall fight you or your Po-"

Chaz flew across the room, slamming him into the wall. He collapsed unconscious on the floor as soon as Chaz let him go. "That all you've got?" Chaz said contemptuously, returning to Saylee.

"I feel like I should tell you off for that," Saylee sighed. "He's not dead, is he?"

"He ought to be," Chaz said. "He can't act like an honourable warrior if he's going to kill his opponents like that."

"He's very determined to protect whatever's in here," Saylee said, looking around at all of the fallen opponents. She stooped next to Pedro. "Chaz… we can't just leave him here… and… I-I don't think he'd mind… I think he'd prefer…" a lump was sticking in her throat. She was determined not to cry. She wanted to be strong, for Pedro. But it was so _hard_…

"I know," Chaz said, a little stiffly, motioning to Saylee to step back from Pedro's body. She kissed his beak one last time, stroked the tattered crest, and stepped away. She had to look away; she couldn't bear to see his body burned to ashes.

Something soft touched her cheek. She reached up and her fingers caught something floating in the hot air. It was a thick, soft pink feather, burned at the end. She held it tightly between two fingers, scared to crush it but terrified to let it go. She wasn't sure what kind of updraft had brought that one single feather to her from out of the inferno, but it reminded her powerfully of small wings and the weight of a little body on her shoulder.

"What about his ashes, Saylee?" Chaz asked quietly a few minutes later. "Will we leave them here?"

"No," Saylee said, pulling a salve bottle out of her bag. She spread all of it over every bruise and scrape on Chaz's wings until the bottle was empty, and then filled it with all of the ashes she could scoop up. Grey flecks were floating in the hot air. She felt sure she'd breathe some by accident, and tried to hold her breath until she'd scooped all she could into the bottle.

"We'll have Carrie give him the proper rites when we're out of here," she said, hugging the bottle to her. "I won't leave him here."

"Then we'd better get going," Chaz said, nodding towards the path forwards. "No going back."

Saylee followed close at his side, the bottle clutched in one hand and the feather still gripped tightly between her fingers.

{}

_Cross Chop. Dear mother of Mew, Cross Chop. Pedro was at full gorram health, and he got Cross Chopped and… I don't even. That was almost physically painful. The first Pokémon I caught in the game, there the whole time… Chaz hit criticals on both the Machamp and the Onix, by the way. It felt like he was properly out for vengeance. _

_So RIP, Pedro. You were a bro and a half to Chaz and a beloved teammate to me. I miss you T_T_

_RIP Pedro the Pidgeot, level 2-52_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	45. Chapter 45

_Pokémon: 19 Deaths: 18_

About an hour past Bruno's cave, the tunnels cooled down again. Mist began to roll across the floor again, but it wasn't the same mist that had emanated from Lorelei's chamber. It wasn't wet mist, but it was cold and clammy and crawled up and down Saylee's spine. It was not an unfamiliar sensation.

"You feel it too?" She said, watching Chaz wave his tail through the mist to dispel it, knowing that his flame would clear some of the mist rather than be damaged by it. He nodded.

"Like Lavender," he said. Saylee gripped the feather and bottle of ash close as fingers of mist wrapped around them.

"I'm going to get Carrie," she said, carefully prising one hand off of her death grip on the bottle to release the grave guardian. The mist swirled around Carrie for a moment, before drawing back respectfully. Carrie looked around with a frown.

"This isn't… home," she said. "But there are dead souls resting here…" she looked up sharply at the bottle in Saylee's hands. The look of utter horror in her eyes made it clear that she could tell who was inside. "Saylee…"

"We're going to keep moving forward," Saylee said firmly. "We can't stop now. We have to find Red and Blue and whatever else is up here." Carrie nodded, walking up the path, warding away the cloying mist.

They reached a third opened-out area. Saylee grabbed out her Silph Scope and spied a Haunter and two Gengar in the mist. They were floating over a large number of tombstones.

"I guess this is where most of their opponents end up," Chaz said, looking around at the graves. Some had names. Some didn't.

Some had carvings on the top that marked them as human graves.

"Welcome, girl. Won't you stop here awhile?"

"Define "awhile", please," Saylee said, peeking over the Silph Scope at the woman who was between them and the exit. She was very old, maybe even over sixty like professor Oak. She was wearing a tattered old white coat like the one Professor Oak had, over a purple dress. She stood up from the rock she was sitting on, leaning on a large wooden pole. A Golbat flapped down to hang off of the crooked cane.

"Most of my guests stay with me a _very_ long time," she said, smiling far too sweetly for someone who was confessing to have murdered a lot of people and Pokémon. "Funny you can see your way, girl. There's not many can do that." She narrowed her eyes on the Silph Scope. "Boy came through a few months ago with one of those. Had to put up a real fight, for once. You a friend of his, girl?"

"Blue must have picked one up in Saffron," Saylee murmured to Chaz. She clutched Pedro's bottle close to her chest with one hand and reached for her remaining three pokéballs with the other. "We'd like to go find him. I suppose it's too much to hope you'd just let us pass?"

"I'm afraid so, girl," the woman said, standing up. "My name is Agatha, girl. Tell me, how is that old fool Oak? Still failing to keep children from running off into the mountains, I see. Playing around with toys like that Pokédex instead of ever doing any _real_ work. Without ever knowing _real_ power!"

"Real power?" Carrie said derisively. "The power to manipulate these poor spirits?"

"Not all of them, little guardian," Agatha said simply. "Just my three ladies here." The two Gengar and the Haunter flew down next to her, giggling maniacally; an Arbok slithered out of the mist to rear up next to her trainer, snarling and spitting.

"Five on five?" Saylee suggested, releasing Paul, Lorenzo and Hernan. "Hernan, Thunderpunch that Golbat. Lorenzo, Psychic the Gengar on the left. Carrie, Bone Rush the other. Paul, Thunderbolt that Arbok. Chaz, make the Haunter burn."

"What about Pedro?" Hernan asked, looking around. Paul looked back at Saylee as well. Lorenzo's face crumpled without him looking; Saylee and Chaz's pain and loss was still thick in their minds and probably extremely easy for a psychic to pick up. That same pain spread across Paul and Hernan's faces as they saw the bottle and the burnt feather. Carrie reached out and put her paw on Hernan's arm, bowing her head sorrowfully.

"Not to worry, little ones," Agatha said, tapping her cane on the ground. "I'll put you all to rest now."

Her Pokémon shot forwards. Saylee's Pokémon moved to meet them.

Golbat dodged Hernan's first punch and Hernan dodged its first strike with its wings, so their fight became a match of boxing and dodging. Carrie joined in as soon as she took down her Gengar, which happened fairly quickly; the trickster spirit didn't seem particularly inclined towards fighting a grave guardian, and it only took a single strike to make it fade away.

Neither Lorenzo nor his opponent were moving; both were frozen in place with their eyes closed, shuddering slightly and enveloped in a pink glow as their psychic and spiritual powers fought it out. Lorenzo seemed to be winning; he wasn't shuddering much, but the Gengar was fading out of sight.

Since the mist was ether, not water, Paul's lightning was very sharp and controlled. Saylee wasn't sure how it could even work, but it clearly hurt the Haunter every time it hit. Paul's cocky demeanour was gone entirely; he looked focused and deadly serious. Saylee clutched the bottle close to her chest. He and Pedro had been becoming quite good friends before, despite Pedro's innate nervousness of electric-types.

The Arbok wrapped itself around Chaz, biting down hard into his wing, but all that meant was that the huge serpent was at point-blank range when Chaz let off a blast of fire. Agatha tapped her cane on the ground again.

"She's calling more ghosts!" Carrie yelled, turning and flinging her bone at Agatha. The old lady gasped as it cracked her across the head and knocked her out.

"Careful!" Saylee called, running over to the old woman. "At her age, that could kill her!"

"What a shame," Paul said sarcastically.

"I know how hard I hit her," Carrie said, looking around at the graves. "I'm going to recite the rites again. I don't trust that this place has been sanctified properly. Not if there's been more death here."

"May I help?" Hernan asked. Carrie nodded thoughtfully.

"Repeat after me…" she said, teaching him the prayer. Saylee looked up to check on Lorenzo, Paul and Chaz. Her breath caught in her chest when she saw Chaz slump.

"Chaz!" She screamed, running over to him. He was shivering, and one of his wings wouldn't stay up. There was a swollen purple lump on the damaged wing.

"That Arbok bit me…" he muttered, kicking aside the charred serpent. "It's just a bit of poison… I'll be… fine…"

"I'll put you into your pokéball until I can find somewhere safe to heal you," Saylee said, trying not to panic. "Okay? It's going to be alright, Chaz, I promise…"

"I'm going to be fine, Saylee," Chaz said gently, nudging her cheek. "Calm down." Saylee nodded, returning him to his pokéball. Lorenzo leaned down to nudge her other cheek.

"I am terribly sorry," he said softly. "About Pedro. But do not fear for Chaz. He is strong, and we have antidotes. You have no need to panic. He will be fine."

"I… I know," Saylee said, squeezing the bottle and feather with one hand and Chaz's pokéball with the other. She realized that she wasn't breathing and took a few deep gasps, coughing a little on the rankness of the air.

"You okay?" Paul asked. "You were kinda panickin', y'know. Can't blame ya after what happened to Pedro, but still."

"I'm tired and jumpy that's all…" Saylee said, pulling her glasses off and rubbing her eyes. She really was feeling exhausted. How long had she been fighting her way up these tunnels? But she couldn't stop now… she had to find Red and Blue… she had to heal Chaz… she…

She closed her eyes and couldn't open them again. The last thing she heard was Lorenzo calling her name.

{}

"_He's so cute!" Saylee giggled, patting Ben's bulb. The little grass-type huffed._

"_I'm not cute!" He declared. "I'm a mighty and powerful Pokémon! Or at least, I'm gonna be when I get bigger and stronger." He frowned at the murky grey sky. "When's the sun gonna come out?"_

"_This is a bright day," Red said wryly. "Grass-types like you like sunlight, right?"_

"_I'll wilt in this!" Ben complained. _

"_Maybe it'll get better," Red said, picking up his backpack. "Someday, you know?" _

"_Do you have to go?" Saylee complained, handing him his hat. "You could stay and help…"_

"_This will help," Red promised. "Besides, I'm not going for good, am I? I'll have to come back a lot to bring the food and medicine I find, at least until I get a flying-type that can bring stuff back for me." He gave her a hug. "I'll be back before you know it. Be good and don't eat too much!"_

"_Hey!" Saylee complained, crossing her arms and scowling at her brother as he walked away. He stopped to talk to Blue on his way out, introducing him to Ben. Blue looked annoyed and ending up sending Red away with a punch on the arm._

"_Of course he leaves on the day they dig out the new well," Blue complained. "He won't have to go down there now."_

"_He's getting too big to go down there, anyway," Saylee reasoned. "You're gonna get too big soon, as well," she added, walking up close to him with her hand on top of her head, whacking it against his forehead. "Do boys EVER stop growing?"_

"_You're just a midget," Blue said, grabbing her hand and dragging her off. "That means _YOU_ can go down with the bucket first! Try not to hit any poisonous gas!"_

"_What? Nooooo…." Saylee complained, following him away._

_A shadow crossed over them. It was Pierre, Red's Pidgeot. He had a crate of fruit in his claws._

"_Fruit?" Daisy Oak gasped. "No way! How'd he _get_ that? It's so big, look!"_

"_How'd they grow them so _big_?" Saylee gaped, picking up a big red apple and sniffing it. "I didn't know they grew this big! Our tree just makes little green ones!"_

"_Don't you dare start scarfing those down, young lady," Saylee's mother said, shooing her away from the crate. "You'll make yourself sick! Daisy, we'd better get these into cold storage…"_

"_Right away," Daisy agreed, running off to open the cold storage. Saylee backed off from the crate in a huff as Mark and Andrew picked it up to carry it off. A letter fell to the ground at Pierre's feet. It was from Red._

"I'll be coming home for a while soon. I had a really big shock when Pierre died. I really didn't think it could happen. Pokémon are so tough…"

_Saylee looked down and saw Pedro lying dead at her feet, feathers singed, neck broken._

_She slumped to her knees with a sob, reaching out to him. Blue reached down and grabbed her hand._

"_C'mon," he said with a wink, pulling her to her feet. "I sneaked out a couple of them!" He pressed a red, juicy apple into her hand._

"_But-" Saylee said, looking down at Pedro, or Pierre, but there was nothing there. Blue let go of her hand and ran off._

"_C'mon, slowpoke!" He yelled. "We need to eat them where the grownups won't see!"_

"_Blue, wait!" Saylee yelled, running after him. He vanished into the fog, and Bruno, Lorelei and Agatha stepped into her way._

"_That's what you deserve, girl," Agatha said, pointing her cane at the apple in Saylee's hand. It wasn't an apple, anymore, though; it was a pokéball. When she opened it, blood and purple poison poured out._

"_You don't even know what you're doing," Lorelei sniffed. "They'd be better off without you. But it's too late for that now, isn't it?" _

_Bruno reached for Saylee and she screamed._

{}

"Saylee!" Hernan said sharply, shaking her awake. Saylee stared around in confusion for a moment, looking terribly lost and afraid. Carrie quickly handed her her glasses. Once she put them on and focused on their faces, she calmed down. "You were having a nightmare."

"Yeah… I was," Saylee said, rubbing her eyes. She looked around. They were in an empty cavern that was far vaster than the previous ones, and entirely empty. Paul was sitting at the front of the tunnel that they'd presumably come from. Carrie and Hernan were both looking over her with concern. "How long has it been?"

"A few hours," Carrie said. "I'm not surprised you've slept so long, you've been going for a few days straight and you don't get to rest and recharge in a pokéball at any point." She smiled faintly. "Anyway, we didn't want to stay in Agatha's room so we returned Lorenzo and brought you up here. There's no way forwards, though. So we kind of made camp here. We've taken turns standing guard and napping."

"Chaz," Saylee said in a panic, grabbing for his pokéball.

"He'll be fine," Carrie assured her. "We haven't let him out, so his poisoning won't be any worse."

"None of us could work the antidote bottle," Hernan said ruefully. "It was designed for human hands."

Saylee dug into her bag for the antidote before letting Chaz out. He didn't look any worse than she remembered; actually, he looked better, her imagination having twisted him into a horrendously ill, dying Pokémon. He just looked weary and couldn't move the injured wing. Saylee got him to lie the wing down flat and carefully cleaned it and injected antidote into it.

"Try and flap your wings a few times to get the antidote circulating," she said. After a few attempts, he managed to flap the damaged wing weakly, then stronger as the swelling went down. While he was doing that, Saylee released Lorenzo.

"How are you feeling?" Lorenzo asked gently, licking her cheek. Saylee scratched his chin.

"I'll feel better," she sighed. "Eventually." She took off her hat to brush out her hair a little, because it felt sweaty, dusty and matted, and saw that somebody had stuck Pedro's feather into the hatband. She plucked it out, twirling it between her fingers. "I have to find Blue and Red. That's what I came here for. That's what Pedro came here with me for." She dug into her bag and pulled out her mementoes; Daisy's coin and the charm from Sabrina, hanging from a string from Alan's bent spoon. She dug into her bag for some more string, winding it through the coins, through the shaft of the feather and then around the spoon. She held it up carefully. The makeshift weave seemed to hold.

"Oh, my," Lorenzo said, peering at the net. "That's got quite a lot of power."

"I suppose Daisy and Alan's power might still be in it," Saylee said, twitching a string and watching the items spin. "And whatever Sabrina did to the coin…" Lorenzo shook his head.

"Daisy, Alan and Pedro's will remains in these items," he said gently. "They want to protect you. If you want to be protected from bad dreams and psychic influences, hang it over your head. They will protect you. They always will."

"They will, huh…?" Saylee said, her eyes heating up. She took off her glasses and pressed her hand to them. "I… they shouldn't… I don't deserve…"

"No human does."

Chaz jerked upwards, immediately moving protectively in front of Saylee as he stared intently into the ceiling. It was so high that it faded into the darkness, impossible for Saylee to see. Paul, Hernan and Carrie all gathered too, looking around at the ceiling nervously.

A man dropped down, leaping from crag to crag before dropping to the floor. He was wearing a black jumpsuit and a tattered and highly impractical red cloak. His red hair stood sharply up from his head like Blue's, only even taller.

"You're another "guardian", are you?" Saylee said sternly. The man nodded.

"I am Lance," he said, "the last guardian of the great secret of Kanto's past. And you will go no further than here!"

He thrust out his arm, making his cape flow out dramatically, and snapped his fingers. A huge Gyarados dropped from the ceiling, fangs bared, directly at Chaz.

{}

_Key-chan's beautiful art inspires me to writing. And vodka and coke. So, um… I hope there aren't too many typos or mistakes here._

_This chapter dedicated to the most wonderful revelations about Pokémon Black and White 2, including the Shining Charm, different difficulty modes, wild Eevee and the World Tournament :D Oh man, I can't WAIT to see everyone's fully animated sprites! :D_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	46. Chapter 46

_Pokémon: 19 Deaths: 18_

"Oh hell no!" Paul yelled, leaping into the way and zapping Gyarados hard with a bolt of lightning. The second she saw the Gyarados, Saylee had thrown herself against Chaz as if she was strong enough to push the huge Pokémon aside. Chaz grabbed her and flew out of the way, his wings working normally again, while Carrie and Hernan leapt onto Lorenzo's back as he froze up the floor and slid out of the Gyarados' path. The first blast didn't manage to take the Gyarados out, so it managed to swallow Paul before hitting the ice.

"PAUL!" Saylee shrieked. Gyarados suddenly jerked sharply, collapsing onto the floor.

Its mouth was pushed open by a spiky yellow tail as Paul climbed back out. "Yeah?" He said, wiping gunk off his ears. "Eurgh… Gyara spit."

"PAUL!" Everyone yelled as another dragon dropped down on them. Saylee thought it was another Gyarados at first but it was much more slender with shining black eyes and a horn from which it blasted a beam of light that slammed into Paul hard.

"'M a'ight…" Paul muttered, staggering to his feet and then slipping on a spreading ice patch. Saylee snapped her Pokédex open as the serpentine blue Pokémon hit the ice. It writhed uncertainly, looking a little dazed. Saylee's Pokédex confirmed what she could hardly believe; it was a Dragonair, a type of Pokémon that she had previously believed to be a myth, and it had just hit Paul with the legendarily powerful Hyper Beam, a blast of pure energy that Paul was incredibly lucky to have survived.

"Lorenzo, Ice Beam it!" Saylee ordered, leaping out of Chaz's grip and sliding across the ice to grab Paul out of the line of fire. "Quickly, while it's tired out!" She scooped up Paul, despite the fact that he was half her height and more than half her weight, determined not to leave him in the middle of the battlefield. To her shock, Lance skidded past her in a similar move to check on his Gyarados. A second Dragonair had also dropped down, but instead of sending it into the fray with its brother- which was being encased in an increasingly thick block of ice by Lorenzo- he ordered it to help him haul Mark out of the way.

"Aaron!" He called upwards, noticing that his first Dragonair was completely immobile. "Take out that Lapras!"

"Aye, sir!" A grey, bony creature with a vast purple wingspan flew down towards Lorenzo, sharp-toothed jaws open wide.

"That's an _Aerodactyl_!" Saylee screamed to Lorenzo. "That _can't_ be an Aerodactyl! Surf!" Chaz flew over and pulled Saylee and Paul off of the ice, yelling something about stupid moves, but Saylee barely heard him through a rising sense of hysteria. She _had_ to still be dreaming. There was no way this guy had _two_ legendary Pokémon and an _extinct_ Pokémon. When the water went down, though, a bedraggled Aerodactyl was indeed what was trying to flap the water from its wings so it could fly again. Lorenzo iced up the floodwaters, making it slip around more.

"Again!" Saylee ordered, climbing up onto Chaz's back and then digging into her bag for some healing potions for Paul. Across the battlefield, she could see Lance trying to chip his first Dragonair out of the ice. It was somewhat unsettling to see how little attention he was paying the battle, how confident he was in his dragons even though two had already lost and the third was soon to follow…

"Ancientpower," Lance called over his shoulder without even looking at Aaron, who screeched sharply. The whole cave began to rumble and the icy sheet _cracked_ suddenly.

Huge, round boulders were tearing themselves out of the floor and wall, and all of them flung themselves at Lorenzo. He didn't even have time to scream before he was buried under heavy boulders.

"LORENZO!" Saylee screamed. Hernan and Carrie ran over, trying to lever the boulders off of him, but Carrie suddenly stopped and stepped back with a lost expression. It was too late. Chaz flew over and set down Saylee and the now-healed Paul next to them. Saylee slumped down next to the boulders, her gaze focusing on a red trickle that was oozing out from beneath some of them.

"Look out!" Carrie yelled as more boulders fell at them. She threw her bone club, managing to smash most of them apart so that only pebbles and dirt rained down on them. Saylee clutched at the bottle and feather again, hard enough to make the plastic creak. One hand fisted in the dirt, stained red.

"Paul, Thunder!" She ordered. Paul darted forwards and zapped Aaron hard. The soaked, weakened Pokémon went down easily, and Lance called out his other Dragonair to replace it. "Carrie, Blizzard!"

Carrie spun her bone rapidly, the shattered ice chips being drawn into it and fired powerfully at the enemy Dragonair, which howled in pain. It didn't like the ice any better than the first Dragonair and it collapsed in a heap on the floor.

"You didn't kill him," Lance said with interest. "Even after we killed your Pokémon?"

"I don't believe in killing," Saylee said through gritted teeth. "That's kind of the _point_."

"That's all the more reason for you to turn back now," Lance said with surprising gentleness. "You don't want to know what's really back here. You don't want to know what really happened."

"As long as what's back there includes my brother and my best friend, I don't give a shit what else there is!" Saylee yelled. "So are you going to let me past or are you going to make us go _through_ you?"

"It's not just me you'll have to go through," Lance said, before looking up. "Damien!"

"My turn to fight?" a deep voice rumbled. "That's rare." Some huge shadow detached from the walls further up in the high cavern and landed next to Lance, heavily enough to make the entire cavern shake.

It was huge, with light-orange skin and broad blue wings. In shape, it wasn't dissimilar to a large Charizard without a flame on its tail, but it wasn't a fire type. It was another dragon, the rarest of all. Saylee had to click open her Pokédex to see if she could believe her eyes.

"_Dragonite is said to be able to circle the globe in only 16 hours…_"

"That's a Dragonite," she said to Lance in shock. "You're a Dragonite," she repeated to Damien.

"If Dragonair exist, why not Dragonite?" Lance said, hoisting himself up onto Damien's back. "My last and best. So what will it be, Saylee? This is your last chance. Will you leave now?"

"Hell. No," Saylee growled, handing the plastic bottle to Carrie. "Look after him," she asked, slipping the burnt feather into her hatband. "Please try and get Lorenzo out…"

"We'll see that they're looked after," Carrie promised.

"What are you going to do?" Paul asked. Saylee climbed up onto Chaz's back and strapped herself into the flying harness. Lance and Damien didn't have one.

"Ready to go?" she asked Chaz. He nodded.

"All the way," he promised, spreading his wings and roaring at the huge dragon. Damien roared back.

"Thanks for waiting," she called to Lance.

"It's no fun to make a sneak attack!" He responded lightly. Saylee came close to actually screaming in rage.

"You think this is _fun?_" she yelled. "Chaz, Dragon Claw!"

Chaz's claws glowed as he struck at Damien, scratching the huge dragon along the side as it dodged sharply. Damien and Lance flew up into the air.

"Clever, clever!" Lance called down. "You can dish it, but can you take a dragon's power? Outrage!"

Damien roared and charged Chaz, emitting blasts of blue fire. Saylee leaned down into Chaz's neck as hot fire shot over her head. Chaz roared in pain as he was attacked, flew out of the way and attacked with his Dragon Claw again. The two of them flew up into the air, Damien striking at Chaz with his powerful outrage and Chaz fighting back with his Dragon Claw. Chaz landed hits quicker than Damien, but Damien's hits were far more powerful and soon Chaz began to flag.

"Hang on, Chaz!" Saylee said, digging into her bag. If this was the last fight then it could be all or nothing. She pulled out her most powerful healing potions and loosened the flying harness so she could move around to apply fast-acting healing salves to Chaz's wounds.

"Be careful, Saylee!" Chaz yelled, trying to steady himself so Saylee could move around safely.

"Don't stop moving or he'll hit you full-on!" Saylee yelled, climbing back onto his neck. "I'll be fine!"

"Saylee, we're fifty feet in the air and climbing!" Saylee clung tightly to his neck as he spun away from another blast of blue fire.

"All the more reason for me not to fall!"

As she climbed along one of Chaz's wings to get to a vital wing joint, she saw Damien pull back momentarily as Lance sprayed a potion over his scars. "_So, two can play at that game, huh…_?"

It became an endurance battle, Chaz's Dragon Claw versus Damien's Outrage, Saylee's potions versus Lance's. Chaz began striking close to Lance, trying to knock him loose in the hope that Damien would be distracted, but Damien was far too quick for his size and dodged easily. The battle was starting to look like it was going to go on forever when something odd happened.

Damien charged Chaz, missed by a mile and slammed into a wall.

"Now!" Saylee yelled triumphantly. "Dragon Claw! Put everything into it!"

"Right!" Damien was starting to pull himself out of the wall, but he looked dizzy, disoriented. Lance had a potion in his hand. He didn't get a chance to use it before Chaz grabbed Lance's cape in his jaws and pulled the human out of the way, allowing Chaz to attack Damien hard in the back with both sets of claws.

The dragon howled pitifully and fell down to the cavern below.

"Damien!" Lance yelled. Chaz flew down with Lance still in his jaws and Saylee clinging to his back, almost crying with relief. They _did_ it. They beat a _Dragonite_.

"Outrage is an exhausting attack, I heard," she sighed. "Looks like it can even tire out dragons."

"You won!" Paul yelled as they landed. The boulders were moved, and beneath them was a puddle of cold water and blood.

"Lorenzo melted upon death," Carrie explained, looking sorrowfully at the puddle.

"The Pokédex said that there were legends of them melting into the sea…" Saylee said, kneeling down and scooping up the water into one of the empty potion bottles that were now littered around the cavern floor. "I'm sorry, Lorenzo…"

"He got to see the sea," Hernan said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "And now we're through, Saylee. We can go find your brother and Ben and Sam and Blue."

"Yeah…" Saylee said, screwing the lid onto the bottle. Carrie handed her Pedro's bottle and she held them both close to her chest as she stood up.

Lance was crouching over Damien, checking on him. The two Dragonair, Gyarados and Aaron the Aerodactyl were all lying in an unconscious heap. Saylee stormed over to him with Chaz, Paul, Hernan and Carrie at her side.

"Where do I go now, Lance?" Saylee demanded. "My brother Red and my best friend Blue are through here somewhere, aren't they?"

"Go up," Lance said, looking down at Damien. "Right to the top. That's how you get to the facility. Your friend Blue is still there. Red isn't, I'm afraid. I remember him. He was here, but he left…"

"You're lying," Saylee said sharply. "If he left, why wouldn't he come home?"

"I didn't say I know where he went," Lance said, looking up. "Just that he couldn't stay here. Why not ask Blue and see if he knows?"

"…Fine," Saylee said, returning her other Pokémon and climbing onto Chaz's back. With a reproachful look at Lance and Damien, Chaz spread his wings and started flying up.

Saylee had no idea how far up they'd have to go. She'd completely lost track of how far underground she might have been while going up and down in the tunnels, so for all she knew they could be going back to the surface or going to the peak of a mountain. She had no idea.

"Saylee, we're about to hit the ceiling," Chaz reported. "I can feel it. There's not a lot more space above us."

"There might be a tunnel somewhere," Saylee said, looking around. Chaz started to slow his ascent, waving his tail around to throw light over the walls. "There!"

There was a shallow indent in the wall. Inset into it was a silver door. A wide set of claw marks had knocked it off its hinges. Chaz pushed the lump of metal aside and Saylee slipped off of his back so they could step inside.

It was a wide, dark hallway. Saylee tapped her feet on the floor and heard metal. She carefully put the two bottles in her bag and then reached out with one hand to feel metal on the wall as well. She released Hernan, Carrie and Paul.

"Where are we now?" Hernan asked, squinting around.

"I can see some old lights, Saylee," Carrie reported. "I don't think they're broken."

"Then lemme try," Paul said, flicking his tail around and emitting spikes. Something hit a wire and a light flickered to life. Paul shot more electricity at it and lights sparked to life all down the hallway.

It wasn't very long, and led to a second door that was in better condition. It was quite wide, however. The walls, floor and ceiling were all covered in sheet metal with lights set into the ceiling. The door slid open before Saylee took another step forward. Rather than swinging like a normal door, it just slid into the wall.

Blue stepped through.

"Blue!" Saylee yelled ecstatically. "You're alive!" She ran and practically jumped him, absolutely overjoyed to find _somebody_ alive. "You're okay! Are your Pokémon okay? Have you seen Red? They said he came here but then he left, but if he left why wouldn't he-"

"He wouldn't want to go back to Kanto," Blue said, giving her a push to make her get off him. "Come on, Saylee. We're leaving."

"What? _Why_?" Saylee demanded. "Why wouldn't Red go home?" She looked over his shoulder. "What the hell is back there, Blue? What are they so determined to hide?"

"It doesn't matter." Blue grabbed her arm and starting tugging her back down the hall. "We're going home."

"No, we're not!" Saylee yelled indignantly. "Let me _go_!"

"You heard her," Chaz said, snarling at Blue. He dropped Saylee's arm. "Blue, you're acting crazy. What are you trying to hide?"

"Nothing you need to know," Blue said. He wouldn't meet any of their eyes.

"That's not for you to decide, Blue!" Saylee yelled angrily. "Bloody hell, Blue, I'm not some stupid little kid! Lorenzo and Pedro _died_ to get up here and I'm sure as hell not-!"

"Pedro's dead?" Blue said in surprise. "Lorenzo too… I'm sorry, Saylee," he said sincerely, "but that really will just make this harder. Believe me, Saylee, you don't want to go back there."

"_Yes, _I _do_," Saylee said firmly. "I'm not leaving without answers, Blue. Either _tell_ me what's going on or let me through!"

"No," Blue said, stepping back to stand between Saylee and the other door. Saylee tried to push past him and he pushed her back hard enough to send her sprawling.

"Saylee!" Hernan said, stepping forward to catch her. Paul bounced forwards and sparked at Blue.

"Watch it, jerk!" He snapped. Blue yelped in pain as a spark hit him and released one of his Pokémon. Either he wasn't paying attention to which pokéball he grabbed or the spark briefly fried his brain, because the Pokémon he released was Pete. The hall was just big enough for the huge bird.

"Blue, I came here to take you and Red home," Saylee growled, "and if I have to knock you out and carry you back, I will!"

"Likewise," Blue said, shaking his head.

{}

_It was really terrifying losing Lorenzo that early into the battle, and I feel lucky to have gotten out without losing anybody else D: RIP, Lorenzo. You were an awesome Pokémon and a gentleman._

_RIP Lorenzo the Lapras, level 25-53_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	47. Chapter 47

_Pokémon: 18 Deaths: 19_

There was a sickening smell of burnt feathers as Pete hit the floor. Saylee couldn't watch Paul take him out. It was still too close to Pedro's death. She couldn't look until she heard Blue return Pete. When she looked back, she was surprised to see what his next Pokémon was.

"How long have you had a Rhydon?" Saylee asked, looking over the large rock-type.

"His name's Ryan," Blue said, "and he used to be a Rocket Pokémon."

"'Til I gotta better offer from a guy without a whip," Ryan said, lowering his head and preparing to attack. "I got a job, I do it."

"Just knock them out, don't kill them," Blue said. Ryan nodded and charged.

"Carrie, Blizzard!" Saylee ordered as Paul jumped out of the way. Carrie rapidly spun her club. Ice crystals formed in the swirling air currents and shot towards Ryan as he charged down the hall towards them. His assault was derailed when he slipped on a patch of iced-over floor and went crashing through the ground. His own momentum and weight slammed him into the wall. Carrie leapt and struck with her club, knocking him out.

"Fine," Blue said, returning Ryan and flinging out another pokéball. "Hydro Pump!"

"Carrie, get down!" Saylee screamed as Sam appeared in the middle of the hall. Her huge water cannons clicked out of her shell and blasted powerful jets of water at Carrie. She couldn't dodge in time and was knocked off of her feet.

"CARRIE!" Saylee screamed, running to her fallen Pokémon. Her feet splashed in the water now flooding the corridor. "Paul, Thunderbolt!"

"Saylee!" Chaz yelled as Paul charged up. He grabbed her, flapping his wings and pulling her off of her feet and out of the water before Paul let rip. Lightning arced across the hall, shooting through the water towards Carrie and Sam. Sam screamed in pain as she was electrocuted. Chaz winced as his friend collapsed. Saylee looked around to see what had happened to Blue. There was a small patch of dry ground behind Sam, and Blue had backed into it to avoid getting zapped. Saylee sighed in relief. Sam was a high-powered water type, so she could survive that kind of voltage; it would fry a human inside out.

Hernan ran over to Carrie's side. Neither electricity nor water was particularly effective against him, so he was able to reach her and carry her out of the way of the battle. She was stirring feebly. Saylee was overwhelmed with relief.

"Everyone okay?" Paul asked. "'Cause that was a big one!"

"We're fine, Paul, that was brilliant!" Saylee called as Chaz set her down at the far end of the corridor. "Are you okay to keep going?"

"Hell yeah, I'm all charged up!" Paul said, crackling with power. Blue returned Sam. He was scowling.

"Adam!" he called, releasing his Alakazam. "Psychic!"

Adam nodded, raising his two spoons. They bent as he focused his powers on Paul. Paul screamed in pain as he was wracked by psychic power. "Paul!" Saylee yelled, running over to him with her bag in hand. She'd stocked up on healing potions before she left, so she still had some in her bag despite the lengthy battle with Lance. She sprayed one over Paul as he collapsed at her feet, watching the fast-working medicine sink into his skin to heal his pain. "Now, Thunder!"

"On it!" Paul called, leaping forwards. Saylee scrambled back up onto Chaz's back and out of the way as Paul zapped Adam. The water on the floor made the attack more powerful but not strong enough to hurt the psychic. He began to glow golden.

"Recover!" Saylee said. "Hit him again, quick!"

"Good!" Blue yelled as Adam finished recovering. "Now, Psychic again!"

Saylee glanced back at Carrie. Hernan was cradling her, leaning protectively over as psychic powers and electricity zapped back and forth. Her breathing was laboured, and Saylee desperately wanted to heal her, but there was no time. Adam's attacks were more powerful than Paul's, so every time Adam stopped to heal himself Saylee had to take the time to heal Paul. Two of those psychic attacks in a row could kill him.

Saylee was too busy healing Paul every time Adam went into recovery to notice the psychic's eyes glow purple briefly.

"Saylee, c'mon, back down!" Blue called. "We can back out and go home, right now!"

"Not when I'm winning," Saylee shot back. "You should back off, Blue. Or just tell me what you're bloody well hiding!" She leaned down to spray healing salve over Paul again. He zapped Adam again and was subsequently hit with a powerful blast of Psychic.

"You really should stop, Saylee," Blue said, shaking his head. "Please. For the sake of your Pokémon…"

Paul slumped after another psychic attack. Before Saylee could reach him to heal him, he suddenly glowed purple again. Paul screamed in agony as he writhed in the violent purple light. Then he crashed to the floor with a _crack_. Saylee looked at Adam, but he was wrapped in the glow of Recover.

"Future Sight," Blue said sorrowfully. "He foresaw this some time ago. I'm really sorry, Saylee… but you have to turn back now. Don't make any more of your Pokémon suffer."

Paul wouldn't move or wake up. He couldn't.

"Yeah," Saylee muttered. "That settles it. For my Pokémon's sake…"

Chaz snarled. Cinders dripped from his mouth as he stepped towards Adam.

"For the sake of Pedro, Lorenzo and Paul," Saylee screamed, "there is no _way_ I'm leaving now! NO WAY! CHAZ, FIRE BLAST!"

"My genuine PLEASURE!" Chaz roared, blasting the most powerful stream of fire known to Pokémon at Adam. The psychic hadn't finished healing and couldn't get out of the way. He was consumed by fire, white-hot in Chaz's anger, and burned faster than he could heal. Saylee stepped back, spraying the healing salve she had been planning to use on Paul over Carrie instead. She stirred, opening her eyes and sitting up as the flame died and Adam collapsed to the floor in a charred heap. The hall had been scorched dry by the intensity of Chaz's flames, so there was no water to soothe Adam's burns. Blue returned him. He looked ashamed of himself, at least.

"I'm sorry, Saylee," Blue said. "I didn't mean it to go that far, but-"

"Save it," Saylee snarled at him. "Either choose your next Pokémon, or shut up and back off."

"Fine," Blue said sourly. "Edgar! Sleep Powder!"

His Exeggutor appeared in a shower of shining blue powder. Saylee slammed her hand over her nose and mouth, stepping back protectively in front of Hernan and the recovering Carrie. Chaz sneezed sharply, spraying cinders over Edgar, then yawned hugely and started to stumble.

"Chaz!" Saylee yelled, digging into her bag. She found the Poké flute near the bottom. She hadn't had a chance to use it often. She had never learned more than the simplest tunes for it, but that ought to be enough. She played a few basic bars over and over. Chaz's head snapped up suddenly as he awoke. He shook his head and sneezed out some sleep powder. Edgar sprayed more powder at him, along with a barrage of egg bombs, but he couldn't put Chaz to sleep with Saylee playing the Poké flute. Chaz managed to send another blast of fire through an oncoming barrage of egg bombs and burned Edgar out.

"Got anything left, Blue?" Saylee asked.

"Just one," Blue said, returning Edgar and releasing his last Pokémon. It was Gary, his Growlithe, only the fiery canine was far larger than Saylee remembered. He'd evolved into an Arcanine.

"I see you found a fire stone," Saylee said. "Hernan? I think you'd better take this one."

"Of course…" Hernan said, looking down at Carrie. She sat up, giving him a push on the arm.

"I'm fine now. Go on," she said. "Finish this."

"Flamethrower, Gary!" Blue ordered.

"Ice Punch, go!" Saylee called as Hernan leapt past her and Chaz and into the battle. Hernan's fists iced over as he drew them up in front of him to guard. It didn't stop the flamethrower hitting him, but it took some of the edge off. "Now, Thunderpunch!"

"Right!" Hernan punched out, his soaking fists crackling, but Gary dodged easily.

"Extremespeed," Blue said. "Then flamethrower again!"

Hernan was knocked off of his feet by the invisibly fast attack, but it didn't hurt him badly. He was easily able to dodge out of the way of the flamethrower. He punched out again, but he only managed to graze Gary and had to dodge another flamethrower.

Gary was extremely fast, but so was Hernan, who was also much more nimble. The battle was a blur of dodging and striking as the two circled one another. Gary's flamethrowers were powerful, but the moment he needed to charge was a moment for Hernan to be out of the way whereas Hernan's punches only ever grazed Gary.

Saylee looked uneasily over her other two Pokémon. Carrie was still winded from taking a full-on Hydro Pump, and frankly it was a miracle she'd survived. Chaz was still strong, but the problem with Arcanine was that they could draw power from other sources of heat. Chaz just being near Gary would make the Arcanine far stronger, which was the last thing Saylee needed this late in. She just wanted to _end_ the fighting…

There was another exchange of grazes as Gary shot past Hernan, but something was different this time. Gary winced, suddenly crumpling as one leg twitched.

"He's paralyzed!" Saylee called. "Now! Sky Uppercut!"

"Gary!" Blue yelled, digging into his bag, but he was too slow. With his leg paralyzed, Gary couldn't dodge Hernan's most powerful punch. When the punch connected, Gary was thrown into the air and slammed hard into the ceiling before crashing to the ground and lying still.

"That's enough, Blue," Saylee said, reaching down for Carrie's hand to pull her to her feet. They bowed their heads to Paul's body, wrapped and hidden under Saylee's sleeping bag. They then strode past Gary towards the door.

"Saylee-" Blue began, trying to step into the way, but Chaz shoved him aside.

"You lost," Hernan said, falling into step next to Carrie. "That means we have the right to enter. Let us pass before we knock you out, too."

"Let's just see what the big deal is all about," Saylee said, trying to push the door open. It didn't budge. To her surprise, Blue reached out and pressed a button on the wall, causing the door to slide aside.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he said, turning away. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

{}

Without Paul, there was no electricity to the room, and the lights in the hall were dying out again, causing the square of light from the door to fade. All there was to see by was the flickering light of Chaz's tail.

There were several other doors out of the room. It looked like some kind of large conference hall. Several huge tables were scattered about with stacks of paperwork and pieces of machinery piled on them. Saylee found the broken pieces of what looked like several Master Balls scattered across one table. Another had a large, detailed map of Kanto. There were flags stuck into several areas.

"The beaches at Fuchsia," Saylee muttered, touching a purple flag. "The top of Mt Moon…"

"That was where I was born," Chaz said, sniffing it. "Funny. Look, there's a map of the tunnels inside, but they look different…"

"Look at these forests," Saylee said, running her fingers over a line of flags. "Those aren't forests now. They're wasteland… this must be an old map."

"It's a war map," Blue said, looking away. Saylee froze as she heard something moving in the hall outside. Blue stepped out of the doorway to let Lance in.

"I see you won," Lance said. He held up a burning lamp. "When Blue saw all of this, he was determined not to let you see."

"A war room? From the war seventeen years ago, right?" Saylee asked, looking across the map again. There was another flag on top of Cinnabar Island. "Wait, are these places that were attacked? Is that why these forests are gone and the water's polluted?" She gasped. "Did this place belong to the enemy? Who were they? What happened?"

"I suppose this place belonged to our side," Lance said, stepping up to one of the tables. "Look closer."

Saylee did so, picking up some of the diagrams. Her eyes widened in horror.

"Blue, these are the weapon designs we found in Silph!" she said. "Are these what we won with?" She dug into another pile. It was full of weird drawings of helixes and circles that she didn't understand and words twenty letters long, but there were photographs as well.

"Look at this, Saylee," Hernan said, tapping one. "There was a photograph of these men in Cinnabar House…"

The men were standing on either side of a large glass tank. Inside of it, connected to dozens of wires, was a misshapen grey creature. It was vaguely humanoid, but had a long, thick tail and its head and limbs were strange shapes.

"That Pokémon… was created on Cinnabar Island?" Saylee asked, looking up at Lance. "As a weapon for the war?" Lance nodded. "Did they have more powerful Pokémon than us? Who _were_ they, Lance?"

"There wasn't an enemy, Saylee," Lance said heavily. "Not one from outside of the country. It was a civil war."

"Oh, no…" Saylee said, walking over to the map and looking at the pattern of the flags. "Who against who? A civil war means people in the same country fighting each other, right? Which parts of the country were fighting?"

"All of it," Blue interrupted bitterly. "You know why those scientists wanted to create a powerful Pokémon? To fight Pokémon! To fight and kill all of the real Pokémon! You know why the water's polluted? They poisoned it to kill water Pokémon! They blew up mountains and burned forests to kill Pokémon in them, before they killed us! You want to know who was fighting who, Saylee? Humans were fighting against Pokémon! The enemy was _us_!"

{}

"We_ did this? We're the reason you can't drink the water, and we have to hide from the rain, and why we need greenhouses to grow plants in because the _ground_ is poisonous? _We_ did that?"_

"'_Course we did, girl, and the only reason we didn't do worse was Weapons Phase Two backfired horribly."_

"_You could say it worked, though, Agatha. It did end the civil war. Nobody won, but it ended."_

"_Hmph. It'll just come around again, sooner or later."_

"_Forgive Agatha. She was working in the bunker here at the time, so her memory's still vivid and she's awfully cynical. The point is, the fighting stopped. Humanity and Pokémon united because they feared an outside enemy."_

"_Everyone still fights, though."_

"_Over resources, not because they hate and mistrust one another on principle. The land will heal sooner or later. Humans no longer think of Pokémon as an enemy to be annihilated, nor do Pokémon think the same about humans. But far too many of them, if they ever knew what the war really was, would try to win it."_

"_Do a lot of people remember?"_

"_In Kanto? Only Agatha, and of course Bruno, most dedicated security guard in the world. They told me the story when I came over here from Johto. There are secrets in here that the world may need again someday, but until then…"_

"_You're right… nobody needs to know. Not yet. People are better off not knowing…"_

_Loreli pushed her glasses up her nose. "Back home, the water's clean. It's so far away, we got out of it okay. People and Pokémon live in peace, and it's better that way. Is there anything I can do to help?"_

{}

{}

_For various reasons mainly involving me being stupid and pushing the wrong buttons while paying attention to something else, Carrie ended up taking a Hydro Pump- and survived with 1HP. She's done that a few times in the game, actually, taken powerful hits and survived with one or two health points. Nothing takes that girl down. I wish the same could be said for poor Paul…_

_So that's the end of the E4. I lost half my team. It was painful. I'm glad that Chaz survived, at least, because I probably would have just turned the game off and not touched it again if he'd died. It would have utterly broken my heart T_T_

_Not a lot of fic left after this. There's going to have to be some wind-down and then a brief visit back to the Sevii Islands, and then Saylee's off to Johto in a fic based on my SoulSilver nuzlocke run that I've just started. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me thus far! _

_RIP Paul the Raichu, level 24-52_

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	48. Chapter 48

_Pokémon: 17 Deaths: 20_

Muggy air and a lack of rain were the marks of summer in Kanto. Pallet finally had its own greenhouse, where most residents of the village could be found there during their free time. They enjoyed carefully tending to their first ever home-grown crops and didn't mind the glass-walled building being even warmer.

Blue and Sam were seen more often on the beachfront nearby, working on purifying the water with techniques learned from Misty. Because Blue was at the water so often, Saylee never went there, instead helping build and fortify houses. Since returning from the Indigo Area, both of them had been very quiet. They seldom spoke to other residents of Pallet, and to each other, not at all.

It was three months after returning from the Indigo area, just before the very height of summer, when Blue and Saylee finally spoke to one another again.

Saylee had been away again for a couple of weeks. She returned with four pokéballs on her belt instead of three and walked down to the waterfront. She didn't look at Blue as she crouched by the water, carefully dipping her fingers in it. It was clearer than it used to be and no longer a foul, toxic colour, but it was still not clean enough to drink without filtering.

Sam glanced at Blue, who was determinedly not looking at Saylee. Chaz looked from his trainer to Sam's. Blue had gone very still when Saylee had walked up, but didn't talk to her or acknowledge her presence. Saylee ended up being the first to speak.

"Did you know," she said, "that one of the machines Lance and the others had, that they were working on fixing up, it's a device for extracting Pokémon DNA from fossils. They even had a machine for growing a full Pokémon from a piece of DNA. I suppose they used it to clone the super-Pokémon."

She opened her new pokéball, and a shiny brown dome appeared. It lifted itself up on four small yellow legs and peered out from under its shell with glowing red eyes. Blue flicked open his Pokédex and pointed it at the new arrival.

"Kabuto," he commented. "Says here they're extinct."

"What's extinct mean?" the Kabuto said, looking up at Saylee. She stroked his shell.

"It means that there aren't any left, Kaito," she said gently.

"But _I'm_ here," Kaito said. Saylee nodded.

"That's right," she said, picking him up. "You're very special." She set him down by the water's edge. "What do you think of this water?"

"Ew," Kaito muttered, dipping a claw in. He wriggled out of Saylee's hands and plopped into the water. "It's alright, I guess. Still kinda icky. Hmm…" he disappeared under the water and reappeared again a short way away. "It's kind of fun to swim, though."

"Don't swim for long," Saylee said, watching him disappear under the water again and scuttle around happily a little way below the surface. "Can you believe it? They grew him out of a bit of shell from a Kabuto that probably died millions of years ago."

"He's not… _that_ Kabuto, though, is he?" Blue said. Saylee shook her head.

"No," she said quietly, looking down, "he's not."

Sam and Chaz exchanged looks as an awkward silence descended. Neither Blue nor Saylee reacted to their Pokémon walking away, muttering to each other. This time, it was Blue who eventually broke the silence.

"Saylee," he said, "look, I'm-"

"Don't say you're sorry," Saylee interrupted. "I know why you did it. I… I keep wondering if I would've done the same. If I'd found it first. If I'd known…"

"I haven't been able to tell anybody about it," Blue said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Grandpa keeps asking, but… How could I?"

"What are you supposed to say?" Saylee said, glancing over her shoulder. Near one of the houses, she could see SG brushing Flo's fur. "That not too many years ago, we were all trying to kill each other? That it's our own bloody fault that it's going to take years of tilling and cleaning before we can grow anything edible outside of a greenhouse and it's our own bloody fault we can't drink the water? We…" she buried her head in her hands. "Chaz and I, we flew to the top of Mt Moon. Where his kind used to live. Now there's just shrapnel, and rocks, and ash… if any of them survived, like hell they live in Kanto anymore. I tried to apologize, and he just wouldn't hear it…"

"Maybe 'cause you weren't even born when all of that happened?" Blue said sharply. "You're doing it again, aren't you, you moron? Blaming yourself."

"It's our fault as a _species_," Saylee said croakily. "We got arrogant, we tried to take Pokémon's will away from them, make them _tools_… and we're still doing it! Blue, twenty Pokémon are _dead_ because they came with me!"

"No, they're _dead_ because absolute bastards like me killed them," Blue said. He was scowling at his feet. "Saylee, my parents died because some Nidos and their kids were hungry. I'm not going to hold it against all Pokémon for that, though catch me ever training a Nido myself…"

"That's…"

"Saylee, things are different now," Blue said, looking at the village. "Maybe you'd notice that, if you ever thought about the future instead of always being obsessed with the past!" He turned on his heel and stormed off towards the village.

"Who's going to remember if _we_ don't?" Saylee muttered, scowling at the water.

"Remember what?" Kaito asked, popping out of the water. "Are you okay? You look sad."

"It's… nothing you need to worry about," Saylee said, stroking Kaito's shell. The little Kabuto was only a few weeks old, not millions of years, and her feelings were too confused even for her to understand.

"Well, that's a strange sight, isn't it? I saw a drawing of one once, in the history books at home. Never thought I'd see one with my own eyes."

Saylee looked up sharply. "_Lorelei_?"

The woman was sitting on her Lapras' back, drifting towards them. The Lapras had a scowl on her face as she swam through the scummy water. Lorelei had a sack sitting next to her. "What are you doing here, Lorelei?" Saylee said, scooping up Kaito and standing up. She didn't like the way that Lorelei and her Lapras were towering over her. Her arms tightened defensively around Kaito.

"Going home," Lorelei said with a shrug. "I'm clearly off my game. Two kids through in less than a year? Besides… the secrets up there, they're not the only thing that need protecting."

"Where's home?" Saylee asked. "Where do you come from?"

"Floe Island," Lorelei said, patting her Lapras' head. "Lily and I both come from there. I heard from Lance what you said about gangsters on Boon Island. I ought to have been there to protect it."

"Better there than here," Saylee said. She couldn't help some curiosity. "…You said Lily's from there too?"

"Yeah, the Icefall caves on Floe Island are full of Lapras," Lorelei said, flicking her hair over her shoulder with a smile.

"I wish I'd known," Saylee said, shaking her head. "Lorenzo never saw another of his kind before…" she waved her hand at Lily. "I should've taken him to see them."

"Should've, would've, could've…" Lorelei said with a shrug. "I should've been the one to protect my islands. From now on, I'm going to be. Not that I'm ungrateful to you," she said with a sweet smile. "I guess I actually owe you for that."

"Is everything alright?" Chaz said, stepping up behind Saylee and regarding Lorelei suspiciously. Sam seemed to have wandered off, probably going to see if her trainer was alright.

"Fine, Chaz," Saylee said, smiling up at him and then glancing thoughtfully back at Lorelei. "In fact… how about another trip?"

"You want a ride?" Lorelei said, patting a patch of shell next to her. Saylee glanced back over Pallet. Blue was nowhere to be seen.

"Sure," she said, putting Kaito into his pokéball and reaching out to climb onto Lily's back. "Let's go."

{}

"Ten years in that cave?" Saylee asked, leaning against the slope of Lily's shell and dangling her feet in the clear water. The shadow of Chaz's wings brushed over her as he flew overhead. Saylee turned her head as the sun hit her again, shielding her eyes as she looked up at Lorelei. The former guardian was leaning against Lily's neck and getting some sun."I think it would drive me crazy."

"Certainly drove old Agatha pretty batty," Lorelei chuckled. "And Lance and Bruno are so… _intense. _Well, I had my Pokémon, and I've always loved the water. Swimming all day suits me perfectly fine. Occasionally had to trek up for food… that lab looks like it was designed to keep a lot of people hidden for a long time. There's a million years' worth of dehydrated food up there."

"Have you ever been in the labs, much?" Saylee asked. She hadn't been able to bring herself to explore much of them on her first visit, and on the second ahe had only gotten partway into the labs and living areas. The latter had depressed her. There had been dusty photos and personal items in some of them. She wondered what had happened to the scientists who were working there. Lance had theorized that most of them had gone to Cinnabar for the final stages of the cloning project.

"No, they never interested me much," Lorelei said quietly. "There's still a lot of weapons in there, we think. I'd be a little too tempted to use them, especially after what the human generals did to the sea."

"Yeah…" Saylee looked up at Chaz, flying alone through the sky. "I can understand that."

"Still, maybe things can go differently now," Lorelei said lightly. "I can remember, when I was a kid, the day Pokémon started to talk. I was ten. The day before, the other kids and I, we'd loved chasing flocks of Pidgey just to hear them squawk. That day…"

"Didn't seem like so much fun?" Saylee asked. Lorelei laughed.

"No, it was hilarious now that we could hear them swearing," she giggled. "But it sure made fishing a lot less fun when you brought something up and suddenly you could hear it groaning in agony and calling for help…"

"Well, it wasn't all bad," Lily put in. "You and I first became friends shortly after that, didn't we? Once you could sing with us. I think all of us started mistrusting and fearing humans a lot less once we could hear you sing."

"Exactly," Lorelei said. "Now all of us can understand each other. And if, this time, we can understand each other, maybe things can be different after all. Maybe history doesn't have to repeat itself. So far, humans and Pokémon have no reason to distrust each other, at least none based on species. What Lance and the others want to do is keep it that way."

{}

"It's lovely here," Saylee said, releasing Hernan and Carrie. "Have a look. We're on Floe Island. Lorelei says that most of the wild Lapras live here now."

"So this is where Lorenzo's people now reside?" Hernan said, looking around with interest. Carrie stretched, twirling her club idly a few times.

"It hasn't changed a bit," Lorelei laughed, looking around. A few kids were playing on the pier and looked curiously at them. As they walked into town, they drew more curious looks.

"Lorelei? Cordelia and Dylan's girl?"

Lorelei stared at the old woman for a long moment before breaking out in a big smile. "Mrs Jones! How have you been?"

"My goodness, girl," the woman gasped, clasping Lorelei's hands. "You've not been seen for ten years! I barely recognized you— why, you've dyed your hair! You ought to have written; we thought you dead at sea like your parents!"

"I've been busy," Lorelei said, looking around as expressions of understanding dawned on people's faces. "This is Saylee, a girl from the mainland. She used to train a Lapras too, before he died, so I thought she'd like to see the Icefall Caves."

Mrs Jones' face fell abruptly. Her lip trembled. "Oh, Lorelei, it's awful," she mumbled. Lorelei frowned sharply. Saylee and her Pokémon all stopped looking around and focused on the old woman.

"What happened?" Lorelei asked sternly. The woman looked back at the caves.

"Lorelei, it's no use, they're too tough," a man said dejectedly. "Their Pokémon are strong, far stronger than anything around here. None of us've been able to get them out…"

"_Who?_" Lorelei demanded. "Tell me what is going on _right now_!"

"There's men in the Icefall Caves, Lorelei," Mrs Jones says. "They're going to take the Lapras away…"

"No. They're not," Lorelei said firmly, dropping Mrs Jones' hands and striding off through the town. Saylee and her team followed.

"Excuse me," Saylee said, stopping by the man who'd spoken up. "Did you see these men? What were they dressed like?"

"All in black," the man said, "with a big red "R" on the front…"

Carrie gave an angry growl and took off after Lorelei. Hernan ran after her. Saylee climbed up onto Chaz's back.

"What does that mean?" Kaito asked as they took off, flying after Lorelei. "What kind of human are they?

"They're bad humans, Kaito," Saylee said firmly. "Very bad humans indeed."

"I thought Surge said that they were all still doing labour time," Chaz said. "How did they get out here?"

"Let's go find out," Saylee said, dismounting in front of the cave. Lorelei was crouched by the entrance, peering inside, one hand thrust out to stop Carrie charging in. A plaintive wailing could be heard floating from inside. It made the hairs stand up on the back of Saylee's neck.

It sounded far too much like the way Lorenzo had wailed whenever he was in pain, the way Lily had screamed when Paul had electrocuted her…

"You know these bastards?" Lorelei asked quietly. Saylee peered over her shoulder. There were three, two in the standard black uniform, one in white who was tightening several ropes that were wrapped around a large Lapras. Then he pressed a button and the ropes sparked with electricity. The Lapras screamed.

"Team Rocket," Saylee said. "There's only three of them. We can take them."

"Then let's," Lorelei said, standing up and selecting a pokéball. "Let's see them pull that electric net shite on Jeanette…"

"Carrie, you'll need to take out those ropes first," Saylee said quietly. "Then you're free to let rip."

"With pleasure," Carrie said, leaping into the cave as soon as Lorelei let her go.

{}

{}

_Timeskip, and the last portion of the game, the reason that Saylee goes on to Johto. I'm really sorry these are taking me so long. I've started typing up the next fic and I keep doing that instead of this :x Doesn't help that my MCU/mythology plunnies will not stop and will not die and I don't' really want them to :x_

_Name: Kaito. Species: Kabuto. Nature: Lax. Ability: Battle Armour._

_I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's._


	49. Chapter 49

Pokémon: 20 Deaths: 20

One of the Rocket grunts narrowly avoided Carrie's club as it spun past, snapping several of the electrified ropes. The other was knocked off of his feet by Jeanette's Ice Beam. The man in white, a tall man with blue hair, scowled at Lorelei and Saylee and released a Golbat and a Koffing. Carrie, Hernan and Jeanette all stepped up in defence of their trainers, with Chaz hanging back slightly so that Saylee could hang onto his wing. She wasn't half as confident on the icy ground as Lorelei was.

The conscious grunt released two Zubat and a Golbat to back his boss up.

"Who are you?" the blue-haired man demanded. "What do you think you're doing?"

"That's what I want to know!" Lorelei demanded angrily. "What are you doing to that Lapras?!"

"Just softening them up for capture," the man said, nudging the barely conscious Lapras with his toe. The electric ropes had been snapped by Carrie, so he wasn't zapped. "They're not easy to catch, but of course we'd hardly want them if they were weak, would we?"

"You foul, filthy-" Lorelei snarled at them. Jeanette hissed under her breath.

"Get rid of these pests," the man snapped at his Pokémon. "Except you, Westwood, get down here and help me." His Weezing floated down to where he was trying to weave the electrified rope back together, while his Golbat attacked, flying at Jeanette with its fangs bared.

"Yeah, get them!" The other man demanded, pointing at Saylee's Pokémon. Three on three would look like even odds, Saylee thought, if these three weren't facing Chaz, Hernan and Carrie.

"Thunderpunch and Flamethrower!" Saylee ordered. "Carrie, go help Lorelei!" Jeanette had her enemy Golbat in a psychic hold and was doing quite well on her own, so Lorelei had already slipped away from the battle and released Lily and Diana.

"Thunderbolt, Westwood," the man ordered coldly. His Weezing crackled with electricity as it charged up, before shooting a bolt of lightning at Lorelei's water-types.

"Not so fast!" Carrie said, leaping into the way with her bone club held high. The lighting struck and then earthed itself harmlessly. "I'll handle this, you help that poor Lapras," she said, spinning her bone club. Lily and Diana slipped into the water, carefully dragging the wild Lapras further into the cave and tugging the ropes off of him.

"What use are you?!" the blue-haired man yelled angrily as his assistant was frozen into a lump of ice by another blast from Jeanette. Hernan immediately ran to help Carrie finish off Westwood while Chaz took out the other Golbat. "Imbeciles!"

"How did you all get out of Saffron?" Saylee asked. "I thought only Giovanni escaped!"

"Escaped?" the man said, frowning, backing away slightly as Saylee, Lorelei and four of their angry Pokémon stalked towards him. Even Kaito was glowering and making stabbing motions with one of his claws. "Escape from what? Saffron is our city!"

"Not anymore," Saylee said. "A bit behind the times, aren't you? Saffron hasn't belonged to Team Rocket for– what, six months now? Been out here awhile, have we?"

"You lie…" the man was looking worried now, though, and was continuing to back away from them. He picked up a radio on his shoulder. "Proton, I'm returning to the warehouse. There might be trouble and I'm not trusting _you_ and a Pokémon to guard the project anymore."

"You're not going _anywhere_," Lorelei snarled, leaping at him, looking like she had all intent to claw his eyes out herself. She landed a solid punch on his nose, in any case, and the man slid backwards across the icy floor. He rolled, taking himself over a ledge and sliding down into the depths of the cave. "Come back, you piece of-!"

Lorelei slid after him and disappeared.

"Madam Lorelei!" Jeanette called, sliding off after her trainer. Saylee looked out over the water. Lily had her head under the other Lapras' neck, holding him up and humming to him. Both were bathed in a slightly golden aura, as was Diana as she swum in lazy circles around the two.

"I think we'd better defrost those two," Saylee said, pointing to the two Rockets that were trapped in chunks of ice. "Before they freeze or suffocate…"

"You ought to let them die," Diana scoffed, coming up above the water. "They've done such a terrible thing to this poor bull! Look how hurt he is!"

"I'm not as big a fan of killing as your trainer is," Saylee said sharply. "Chaz, Hernan, _carefully-_ well, you don't have to be all that carful," she amended. "They don't deserve to die, but a bit of singeing wouldn't be so terrible."

Saylee crouched down next to the water while Chaz and Hernan went to work, wincing at the touch of ice on her knees. Carrie rammed her bone club into the ground and Saylee gratefully hung onto it for some stability.

"What're they doing?" Kaito asked as Saylee dropped him into the water. He swam over to the Lapras, watching the male begin to perk up slightly. When Lily backed away, he was able to hold his head up on his own, though he still drooped.

"They're healing him," Saylee said. "They're making him better."

"Why was that human hurting him?" Kaito asked, swimming back to Saylee. "You said they were bad humans. Why?"

"They're bad humans because they were hurting him," Saylee explained, stroking Kaito's shell and wishing that she didn't have to tell such a young Pokémon about such terrible people as Team Rocket. She'd thought she'd _beaten_ them… "They hurt Pokémon, and people. They do it because they think they can gain something and don't care if they have to hurt others to do it."

"How do you feel?" Lily asked the male as his eyes drifted open and he looked around blearily.

"Better… ta so very much," he sighed, though he still looked very saddened. Fat, crystalline tears slipped out of his eyes. "Those humans took my mate and our girls, and I couldn't beat them… what'll happen to them?"

"They didn't know that the Rockets on the mainland are all beaten and imprisoned," Saylee said thoughtfully. "They've been out of contact for a long time, whatever project they're on. Odds are good that any Lapras that they've caught in the past six months or more are still in the Sevii Islands."

"The blue-haired man mentioned a warehouse," Carrie said. "They'll probably be there, wherever it is…"

"That man Lorelei went after probably knows," Hernan said. He was invisible behind a cloud of steam as he melted ice off of one of the men. "Or these ones, but they look unconscious already. Their skin is going a funny colour…"

"I do not envy them the frostbite they'll have when they wake up," Lorelei said, floating up over the ledge, wrapped in a pink glow. Jeanette followed her up, walking easily on the slick ice. "It's better than the bastards deserved. The blue bloke got away, he must have a back way out of the caves, but I heard him calling out on his radio, wanting updates on Mt Ember and the Valley. There'll be more of them there. No doubt."

"You know, you've been getting a bit of an accent back since you got here," Saylee observed. "I never noticed that you had an accent before."

"Not that we talked that much before," Lorelei snorted, jumping into the freezing cold water with no reaction at all to the temperature. "I suppose it's been a long time since I've been back here, but I remember it well. How are you, poor bull?"

"Better once I see my family again," he said mournfully. "Mt Ember or the Velly, which will they be at?"

"We've got no way of knowing," Chaz said, picking up his Rocket from a steaming puddle. "We ought to split up…"

"I'll go to Mt. Ember. If any of the fire Pokémon there get in the way we can handle them easily," Lorelei said, hauling herself up onto Lily's back. "You go to the Valley. It has to be the Ruin Valley on Fortune Island. Come on, grab those lumps, we'll drop them off with the villagers and get you on a ferry! We won't let them go a minute longer!"

{}

"It's an hour until the next ferry to Chrono Island," Lorelei said, walking out of the ferry house and dumping a ferry pass into Saylee's hands. "You can get a ferry to Fortune from there. Mrs. Jones said my house is still here, though she thinks some kids might have broken in occasionally. You can wait there until the ferry."

"What about you?" Saylee asked, following her back through town. Passing townspeople called out congratulations and praise to them for saving the Lapras.

"The next ferry to Bond Island's in ten minutes," she said, smiling when she spotted a row of houses and walking purposefully towards one that was near the end of the row. "Sailing to Bond from Kanto isn't that hard, just long, but the water swirls between the islands into deadly riptides, otherwise I'd be off on Lily already and I'm sure that bull would love to give you a ride."

"He's injured, I couldn't," Saylee said with a frown as Lorelei lodged her toe under the doorstep and wedged the slab out of the ground. An old key was wedged underneath. "I can't believe this place has sat empty the whole time you've been away… doesn't anyone else need it?"

"Why would they? This house is pretty old," Lorelei said, working the key into the lock. "Eurgh, there's dust in here or something… anyway, there's lots of newer houses further on in the town that look much nicer. There we go!" The door opened, and Lorelei let Saylee into her house.

It was dark, and the lights didn't seem to function anymore, causing Saylee to need the light from Chaz's tail and the grey light through the murky windows to see. "Are those… _Pokémon_?" Saylee said, squinting.

"Huh, all my old dolls are still here," Lorelei said, fluffing up a stuffed Psyduck and coughing as dust billowed up. "Eurgh… I'd best be off. Clean up a bit if you want, it'd be doing me a big favour. Good luck, don't you dare get your arse handed to you!" She left, striding off towards the docks.

"How many of these _are_ there?" Carrie said curiously, poking at several of them with her club.

"There must be a hundred of them," Chaz said, sniffing the air. He backed up sharply and stuck his head out of the door before he sneezed, spraying cinders across the grass. "'Scuse me…"

"They're so fluffy!" Kaito giggled, hugging a large stuffed Snorlax. He bounced on its huge belly. "Whee!"

"Never would've expected someone like _her_ to have dolls," Saylee said with a frown, walking around the room. Among the dolls there was a table and chairs, a full kitchen, and a bed. With _pink_ sheets.

The door at the back led to a bathroom. There was a ceramic toilet and everything. She couldn't believe that nobody wanted this house. Saylee had seen nice houses elsewhere in the Sevii Islands, but she still couldn't quite see this one being useless.

"I guess people change," Chaz said, watching Saylee examine the sink. The water still connected, anyway, so Saylee took the chance to wash her hands off. "You and Blue have both changed since you left Pallet a year and a half ago. You've changed a lot."

"What was she like before?" Hernan asked curiously. "When she left home?"

Saylee stepped into the bathroom. If the water worked, then the ceramic toilet probably flushed. She almost didn't hear Chaz's soft reply.

"She smiled a lot more."

{}

"The last ferry to Fortune today just left, miss," the man who was shutting up the ferry house said. "There's one in the morning at eight. You can stay at the Centre until then, they've always got rooms."

"Thanks, I guess…" Saylee said, looking around for the Centre. "Dammit. That blue-haired Rocket was probably on that last ferry."

"Only if he was going to Ruin Valley," Hernan said. "If he went to Mt Ember, Lorelei's probably got him already."

"If Lorelei's got him, she might kill him," Chaz pointed out quietly.

"If Lorelei's got him, there's nothing we can do about it," Saylee sighed, heading towards a red-roofed building in the middle of town. Community centres and clinics on the other islands had red roofs, too. For that matter, so did some of the old buildings back in Kanto. They'd probably been clinics or something too, in the past, before they were turned into housing. "It's not like he probably doesn't deserve whatever he gets. Excuse me?" she called as she opened the door. "Do you have any rooms free?"

"Quite a few, love," the receptionist said, perking up from where she had been slouched over a book at the desk. "Most people who come to our little isle are here to stay at Resort Gorgeous rather than here."

"I'm only here to catch a ferry in the morning," Saylee said, "but it sounds nice. I'm sure I'll come back sometime. Do you have a room big enough for my Charizard to be able to stay out of his pokéball?" she gestured to Chaz, who was stooping somewhat under the building's low ceiling.

"So long as he don't sleep standing up, love," the receptionist chuckled. "You'll get a double room to yourself, the single room's already taken by a gentleman who's leaving on the Knot ferry in the morning anyway. I'd better get started on dinner now, since we've got extra guests!" She pointed Saylee to her room and went through a door behind the counter.

"She was nice," Kaito said as Saylee dropped off her bag in her room and Chaz nudged one of the beds aside to make enough floorspace for him to curl up on. "Most humans are nice. So how come some are bad?"

"Some Pokémon are bad too, you know," Hernan said. "But not most. Some of everyone are bad, but not most."

"But _why_?" Kaito asked insistently. Saylee giggled. It reminded her a little of the way she'd been as a child, how amusing she found it to just keep asking "why?". Sooner or later, the grown-ups always ran out of answers, and they always became so irritated when she wouldn't stop asking.

She must've stopped sooner or later. She couldn't think when. Red never had, though. He'd never just accepted that "things are this way because". He'd always been looking for ways to change things, make things better. Hadn't that been why Saylee had left in the first place? Not just to find Red, but to follow in his footsteps, to get a chance to change things?

That was why she hadn't been able to let Team Rocket go, even if they were drawing her farther away from her goal of finding her brother. He'd probably never forgive her if he'd found out that she'd let Team Rocket get away.

"Mmmm, that smells good…" Chaz commented, sniffing at the air. "Do you think dinner will be ready soon?"

"Dinner means time to eat, right?" Kaito asked. "I'm hungry!"

"Let's go see if it's ready, then," Saylee said, picking him up and leaving the room again. Hernan, Carrie and Chaz followed.

The owner hadn't reappeared, but an older man who must have been the other guest was sitting at the table. He was polishing something round and shiny that was sitting in some kind of brown, furry wrap. Then the wrap moved and became a Pokémon, peering at them with beady black eyes.

"What is that?" Saylee asked, clicking open her Pokédex. It scanned some data off of the strange Pokémon, but came up with _no known species._

"How very rude," the furry brown Pokémon huffed. "Could you not have enquired more politely?"

"Now, now, Frederick, I'm sure the young lady meant no harm," the man said, stroking Frederick's ears.

"I'm very sorry," Saylee said, taking a seat and settling Kaito on the table. "I'm Saylee, and this is Kaito. Carrie, Hernan, Chaz." She pointed to each of her Pokémon in turn as Hernan and Carrie took seats and Chaz, who was too large for a chair, simply sat on the floor at the end of the table. "It's nice to meet you. I was just surprised because I've never seen a Pokémon like you before… or anything like that." She gestured to the round, shiny object.

"Yes, well, few have," the man said, twirling his moustache. "I am Sir Geoffrey, and this is Frederick. He is a Furret. I don't believe that they're particularly common around here. Then again, I wouldn't say your Kaito is— at least, not anymore!"

"Kaito's one of a kind," Saylee said with a smile. "I've never heard of a Furret before. Is that thing a Pokémon too?"

"Possibly, someday," Sir Geoffrey said, gently patting the shiny object. It was mostly white, but with odd patterns of blue and red triangles scattered all over it. Saylee reached out to touch it and found it slightly warm. "Pokémon keep them rather closely guarded, you see. Few humans ever get to see them. But I just found it abandoned in the Water Labyrinth, so I have been trying to keep it safe. It seems awfully fragile. I'm afraid that I just can't figure out what it really needs, though."

"What is it?" Saylee asked. "Why do Pokémon protect them?"

"Because I do believe that this is a Pokémon's egg!" Sir Geoffrey declared.

{}

{}

_Shouldn't be more than two chapters of this left. Then I'm going to do some cleanups and edits of the chapters to deal with some typos and continuity errors. Bear with me, this isn't just post-game rambling, it's going somewhere!_

_Also, I am continuing to catch Pokémon in the Sevii Islands, it's just not being mentioned in text because none of them so far are plot-relevant. _

_You actually get the Egg in the Water Labyrinth, so I'm counting it as my acquired Pokémon for that area, regardless of where it hatches._

_Name: Serena. Species: Swinub. Location: Icefall Cave. Nature: Hardy. Ability: Oblivious._

_Name: Samantha. Species: Sentret. Location: Five Isle Meadow. Nature: Adamant. Ability: Keen Eye._

_Name: Howie. Species: Hoppip. Location: Memorial Pillar. Nature: Docile. Ability: Chlorophyll._

I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's.


	50. Chapter 50

Pokémon: 25 Deaths: 20

"I can't tell what kind it is, though," Carrie said, examining the egg thoughtfully. Kaito nibbled at his water weeds, watching the egg in confusion.

"What's an egg?" he asked.

"All Pokémon are born from eggs," Hernan explained. "Well… except for you. But you're special."

"Where do eggs come from?" Kaito asked.

"We'll explain when you're older," Carrie said quickly, sitting back into her seat and getting back to her own dinner.

"I never knew that Pokémon were born from eggs," Saylee said, looking at her Pokémon. "I've never seen one before."

"Well, _I've_ never seen a human egg," Frederick said. "Really, this is the first time I've ever seen an egg that wasn't a Sentret."

"Humans don't come from- well, no, you don't see human eggs," Saylee corrected herself, wondering how to explain that particular facet of human biology. She didn't feel that she should probably talk about it in front of Kaito. Or men, probably. "Were all of you born from eggs?"

"Oh yes," Carrie said. "All that stuff about earthen dolls, if it was ever true, was long ago."

"Of course," Frederick sniffed. "I recall when my sister hatched…"

"Probably," Chaz said with a shrug. "I was too little to remember at the time."

"I've just never heard of it," Saylee confessed.

"Well, over in Johto people have been finding eggs," Sir Geoffrey said. "There's research being done on it. They're still not sure if every single kind of Pokémon comes from an egg, but it does seem so, doesn't it?" he chuckled. "Seems like human reproduction is rather unique!"

"So what do eggs need?" Saylee asked the Pokémon.

"My sister's egg needed warmth," Frederick suggested.

"Ours need warmth too, and there are ritual prayers to be said over them," Carrie added.

"Ours respond to fighting spirit!" Hernan said proudly. "They must be kept in training grounds, where the growing young can hear the sounds of battle!"

"Heat, I'd assume," Chaz said with a shrug. "I don't know, I've lived in the lab since I was little. Do I look like a brood mother to you?"

"I've a friend back home in Johto who might know what it needs," Sir Geoffrey mused, "but truth be told, it's a long trip indeed and I wonder if a rough sea voyage is the best thing for such a fragile egg…"

"You're from _Johto_?" Saylee said in surprise. The other country over the mountain range might as well have been a mythological fairy realm for all anyone seemed to know about it. Kanto had been cut off from the rest of the world for too long.

"Yes, it's a long voyage but many consider it worth it for the luscious Resort Gorgeous!" Sir Geoffrey laughed. "Although I myself am not here for that. I am here studying migration patterns. The life and travels of Pokémon are something of a passion with me. At home, they call me Mr Pokémon for my obsession!" He laughed again. He was a cheery fellow.

"Sounds fascinating," Saylee said wistfully.

"If you ever find yourself in Johto, my girl, just ask anyone in Cherrygrove or Violet to point you to the home of Mr Pokémon!" Sir Geoffrey said, stroking Frederick's ears. "You seem like a clever young woman! I have not seen such a fine Charizard in many years, and never did I think I would see a living Kabuto! The last time they lived and breathed— well, I'm sure I was too little to remember myself!"

"So, what are you following on Knot Island?" Saylee asked curiously.

"Well, I thought perhaps that the springs there might help this egg…" Sir Geoffrey began, trailing off with a thoughtful frown.

"An idea has struck, mm?" Frederick chuckled.

"Yes, of course!" Sir Geoffrey declared with a brilliant grin. "We know not what this little one needs! Warmth? Prayer? Battle? I see a way that it could be blessed with all three! Miss Saylee, would you take on this egg for me?"

"What?" Saylee said in surprise as the egg was shoved into her hands. "Wait- I can't, I'm-"

"Of course you can!" Sir Geoffrey insisted. "What am I thinking? Planning to take care of a baby at my time of life? No, this little one ought to have a whole family, not a couple of doddering old bachelors!"

"Speak for yourself," Frederick said, preening. "I look forward to returning home and stunning the young Fers with my tales of travel and faraway lands…"

"So it's settled!" Sir Geoffrey declared, clapping Saylee on the shoulder. "Ah, and now I have no need to go to Knot! You and I, Frederick, shall explore the fine Meadow tomorrow! It is about the time of year for the Hoppip floats to be aground here, and we ought not to miss them! I must ask the proprietor if she has seen any! Come along, Frederick!" He bounced to his feet, Frederick scurrying up onto his shoulders, and strolled off, calling for the woman that had welcomed them.

"…I can't take an egg to fight Team Rocket…" Saylee sighed, looking down on the egg in her arms with a sigh.

"We'll figure something out," Carrie said, patting her on the arm. "Well, warmth seems to be good for eggs— Chaz, how about you hold it while I say a prayer over it?"

{}

No amount of pleading or explaining could convince Mr Pokémon that the egg was better off with him than Saylee ("You're off to battle ruffians? Excellent! I'm sure the egg will be well-influenced by the power of righteous battle!") so the next morning found Saylee boarding the ferry to Fortune Island with the egg in her arms and Kaito clinging onto her bag. He was getting larger and had quite a strong grip. Saylee kept patting his shell to make sure that he was still there, though, because he kept watching the passing waves covetously.

"You heard Lorelei, the riptides are dangerous," Saylee said soothingly.

"Yeah, but _you're_ all soft and squishy," Kaito muttered. "_I've_ got a _shell_."

The only town on Fortune Island was tiny, as small as Pallet. When Saylee asked about an inn or community centre, the port attendant told her that there weren't any; pretty much everyone who came to Fortune was there to camp. There were vast forests and open spaces where people spent their nights under the stars, and to the south of the town was the Valley, which was popular among scholarly types because of the ruins.

There were chambers carved into the cliff walls, the man explained, and strange pictograms painted on the walls. Why, a young man had gone down there just yesterday.

"Did he have blue hair?" Saylee demanded. "The man, did he have blue hair?"

"I really couldn't say," the port attendant said with a frown. "He had a hood up, you see. And glasses, I think. Kept himself to himself, really."

"That could be that Archer guy, right?" Kaito asked as they made their way down the path to the Valley. "If he's here, are the Lapras here too?"

"I don't know," Saylee said, cradling the egg carefully. "Let's find out…" the path wasn't well-maintained, and only really existed at all as a sort of indent in the earth where enough feet had trod. It wandered around the valley on a fairly random path along the cliff edges, steadily heading downwards. Saylee shrieked as her foot slid on some scree. Chaz grabbed her, but the egg flew out of her hands.

"Look out!" Carrie cried, jumping and grabbing the egg herself. They both went over the edge and hit another turn on the path ten metres below, Carrie rolling to protect the egg.

"Carrie!" Hernan yelled, giving up on the path and skidding down the sloping valley wall towards her.

"Oh, sod this," Saylee declared, hauling herself up onto Chaz's back. They flew carefully down to where Hernan and Carrie were fussing over the egg. "Carrie, are you alright? Is the egg alright?"

"I think so… be more careful, Saylee, you could have smashed it!" Carrie snapped. She softened when Saylee flinched. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shouted…"

"No, you're right, this is way too dangerous for the egg," Saylee sighed. "How about this. You hold onto the egg and sit on Chaz's back. Hernan, Kaito and I will keep working our way around the valley until we find these caves, then you and Chaz can fly safely down to us. Okay?"

"Okay," Carrie agreed, giving Saylee an apologetic hug and then climbing onto Chaz's back. Hernan handed the egg up to her carefully.

"We'll call for you when we find it," he promised. "Just keep the egg warm and safe."

{}

"There's nothing on the walls in there," Kaito reported, scuttling out of a small cave. "Just some more of those Persians."

"Okay, let's keep going," Saylee said, walking carefully along the path. After disturbing one crevice full of slumbering Persian, they had decided on a subtler way to investigate likely caves. Kaito's lightly glowing eyes made him good at seeing in the dark and didn't wake up any more short-tempered Pokémon. Both Saylee and Hernan had bandaged scratches all up their arms.

"Thank you for letting Carrie look after the egg," Hernan said as they searched for another cave.

"It's no trouble," Saylee said, smiling at him. "She's been really worried about it."

"She's really rather maternal," Hernan chuckled. "It is in her nature. But of course, we… well, I don't know about humans, but a Pokémon egg requires two adults of the same species," he said delicately. "Carrie and I could not hatch a child of our own together. I think that is why Carrie has become so fixated on the egg."

"Oh…" Saylee wasn't sure how to ask for more details and didn't really think that she wanted them anyway. "I'm sure she'll be a great mother. She always looks after the rest of us so well, after all!"

"And she will love it dearly, whatever it is," Hernan agreed. Saylee patted his arm.

"I bet you'll be a great father, too," she said encouragingly. "You look after Kaito very well."

"What's a mother and father?" Kaito asked curiously, scuttling across the rock wall in front of them.

"Kaito… you know you were born in a lab, right?" Saylee said carefully.

"Yeah," Kaito said, peering into another cave. "More Persian," he whispered, not even bothering to go in. "Really small. Anyway, most people aren't born in labs, are they? Everyone keeps saying it's strange."

"They aren't," Saylee said. "Most people- well, humans at least, and most Pokémon, I'd assume- have a mother and a father," Saylee said.

"You have a mother," Hernan said. "Do you have a father?"

"…I really don't know," Saylee said distantly. They hopped over a ledge and onto the valley floor. Saylee turned and held out her arms for Kaito to jump into. "I must've. You can't be born if you don't have one. But who he is or was, Mum doesn't remember, and odds are he doesn't remember either. I wonder who he was… maybe he looks like Red. He's never looked a thing like Mum."

"What's that?" Kaito asked, scuttling down to the ground and peering over the cliff edge.

"What's what?" Saylee said, peering down to the base of the valley. There was nothing there except a small pond with a boulder in the middle. "Kaito?"

"That noise… it sounds like the sea!" Kaito exclaimed, scuttling over the edge and down the cliff wall.

"But you can't hear the sea from here…" Saylee said, cupping her ear. The only sound was of winged Pokémon fluttering around in the trees and bushes. "Kaito, come back!"

"There's not far down, come on!" Hernan said, holding out his hand to Saylee. She gripped it and followed Hernan as he jumped over the edge, skidding down the cliff edge on their heels. "Kaito!"

"It sounds like the bottom of the sea!" Kaito cried, jumping into the water and swimming over to the boulder.

"You've never been to the bottom of the sea!" Saylee shouted, running over to the water's edge and peering in. The water was crystal clear like she'd never seen before, and not too deep. She pulled off her shoes and socks and waded after Kaito in the knee-deep water.

"I know, but it _sounds_ like it!" Kaito insisted, reaching the boulder and climbing up it.

"Hernan, get Carrie and Chaz!" Saylee ordered. "I'll get Kaito!"

"Right!" Hernan stepped back and cupped his large hands over his mouth, yodelling at the valley. The sound bounced and echoed until Saylee reached the boulder. She climbed up just in time to see Kaito scuttle into a large hole on top of the boulder.

"Kaito!" she called, hauling herself up and shouting into the hole. "KAITO!"

"Lemme GO!" She heard Kaito shriek sharply. "SAYLEE!"

"KAITO!" She yelled again, swinging her legs into the hole and dropping in.

There wasn't much except a small, domed chamber, but the walls all around were covered in hieroglyphs. There was a man in there with straggly black hair and a white jacket holding Kaito up against the wall. Kaito was struggling and scraping at the man with his claws, but the man was wearing some kind of thick gloves and Kaito's claws weren't penetrating.

"Let him GO!" Saylee yelled, reaching for her belt and remembering too late that her other three Pokémon were all outside. She hadn't thought that anyone else would be down there because the path to the valley looked so unused.

"Are you kidding?" The guy laughed. "This is a Kabuto! There hasn't been one seen alive for millions of years! As a scientist, I cannot let it get away! Do you think there are more here?"

"There aren't," Saylee said shortly. "He came here with me. Let him GO!" She lunged forwards, punching him in the face. He yelled as the surprise blow knocked his head off of the rock wall and Saylee yelped as her knuckles burned in pain. Shaking her hurting hand, she grabbed the man's wrist with her good hand and tried to wrench him off of Kaito.

"How dare you!" the man snarled, throwing a pokéball past Saylee's head. Saylee ducked and turned to see a Magneton bearing down on her. "Zap her, Merry!"

"Humans cannot tolerate our voltage," Merry buzzed, advancing nevertheless. Two of the magnets snapped forwards and grabbed Saylee by the wrists.

"Then low voltage, just enough to get her back!" the man snapped, rubbing his cheek. Kaito flipped over the single wrist that was holding him and scuttled up the man's arm. "Why, you little-!"

"Let her and the sea GO!" Kaito demanded, climbing down his coat. He slashed at the man's pockets with his sharp claws and something blue fell out. It was the last thing that Saylee noticed before her muscles seized up and all she could see was white.

{}

{}

_There are a million tiny sidequests and stories in the Sevii Islands, but I'm missing out all but the ones that are immediately plot relevant, because it's now been six months or so since I actually finished playing FireRed and I'm itching to get onto the SoulSilver story. Also, while I'm skipping out pretty much every other Pokémon Saylee catches because all but two more are relevant, I'll continue to chronicle what I got down here. There's just going to be way too many scenes of Saylee going to out-of-the-way places to be bamboozled by odd Pokémon otherwise : x_

_Name: Yvonne. Species: Yanma. Location: Ruin Valley. Nature: Mild. Ability: Compoundeyes._

_Name: Sam. Species: Spinarak. Location: Pattern Bush. Nature: Brave. Ability: Insomnia._

_Name: Quinten. Species: Qwilfish. Location: Trainer Tower. Nature: Quirky. Ability: Poison Point._

_Name: Peter. Species: Phanphy. Location: Canyon Entrance. Nature: Brave. Ability: Pickup._

_Name: Uni. Species; Unown. Location: Rixy Chamber. Nature; Serious. Ability: Levitate._

I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's.


	51. Chapter 51

Pokémon: 25 Deaths: 20

Saylee's muscles felt sore and stiff, randomly twitching whenever she tried to move. The sting of pain in her knuckles stood out through the general throb.

"I think you need to teach her to throw a proper punch, Hernan," a strange voice said gravely.

"I'm sorry, Saylee," Hernan said fretfully. "This is because we split up that you were on your own… if Kaito hadn't evolved when he did…"

"Kaito evolved?" Saylee said in surprise, letting Hernan and Carrie pull her to her feet. She felt heat on the back of her neck as something warm leaned into her back to prop her up. Looking around, she saw that Chaz, unable to fit through the hole in the roof, had stretched his neck in and was leaning his head against her shoulders to keep her standing. Most of the natural light was blocked, but Hernan's fists were glowing with fire. In the flickering light, she saw something that she'd only ever seen a fossil of before.

Actually, Kaito as a Kabutops didn't look too different to the fossil. The fossil Saylee had seen was of a solid exoskeleton, rather than bones. He was about a head shorter than Saylee now, with a skinny brown-and-white body, a wide, flat head that tapered towards the front, and long, lethal-looking scythes for forelimbs. One of those scythes was bloodstained.

"I'm sorry!" Kaito said nervously in that new, gravelly voice when he saw Saylee staring. "I didn't mean to really hurt him- well, I did a bit, his Pokémon was _hurting_ you… you said Pokémon shouldn't use our powers on people because you're so fragile, but his was attacking you… I didn't kill him!"

"That's okay, Kaito," Saylee said, reaching out a twitchy arm to pat his shoulder. "So long as you didn't kill him… It's okay to defend the people you care about. Thank you."

"Hernan was much cooler," Kaito said humbly. "He jumped down through the hole and fire punched that Merry thing in the face! Well, one of the faces…"

"The human was already fleeing when we arrived," Carrie said, stepping back to allow Chaz to lift Saylee out of the hole in the ceiling. "He had some kind of blue stone. He was yelling at his Magneton that they could still get a good price for it at the warehoue on Chrono Island…"

"Chrono… we were just there!" Saylee cursed, strapping herself into the flying harness with shaking hands. As Chaz reared up to a standing position, she noticed that he clutched something white in his claws. "Is that the egg?"

"Kind of…" Chaz said nervously, holding it out as Carrie and Hernan leapt out of the hole. Kaito followed a moment later, landing a little unevenly on his new legs. He regarded them with curiosity, kicking a little to help himself acclimatize to the new range fo movement. Carrie and Hernan were looking at the egg, which reached two tiny white arms to them and giggled.

"At first I panicked because I thought it had been cracked in the fall," Carrie said sheepishly, picking up the egg and then leaping up to sit in front of Saylee. "But then I realized that he was just hatching. Saylee, this is Tobias." She held up the baby for Saylee's inspection.

The egg was still mostly there, but now two flat feet and two short, stubby arms protruded from cracks in the shell. The top was knocked off and a spiky head protruded. Tobias smiled up at Saylee and wiggled his arms. Saylee handed him back to Carrie, which made him giggle, and took out her Pokédex. It had no data at all.

"We don't know what he is, and he can't talk yet," Hernan explained. "The first one he saw after he hatched was Carrie. He only giggles when she holds him."

"He's adorable," Saylee said, reaching for her belt. The twitchiness was lessening, but she still felt stiff and knew she should get herself checked out at the hospital on Knot. But there were more important matters to deal with first. In the peaceful Sevii Islands, there was only one group that would conduct black market trading. "Chaz, let's get back to the ferry house and see if we can catch him before he gets on. We need to know exactly _who_ he was going to sell to on Chrono Island."

{}

They caught the man trying to bully his way onto the ferry with both his Magnemite and his Electrode out. Hernan leaped down from behind Carrie, flaming fists raining down on the Magnemite, and Carrie handed Tobias to Saylee so that she could knock the Electrode out before it could attack— or worse, explode.

"You _again_?!" the thief complained, releasing two more Pokémon, a Voltorb and a weird pink-and-blue thing that Saylee had never seen before. She cuddled Tobias under one arm while she clicked open the Pokédex with her free hand.

"It's a Porygon, guys," she called down. "And it can change its type, so be careful!"

"And it'll change to the type of your strongest Pokémon!" the thief cackled. "Become a fire-type!"

Saylee released Kaito. "Get the little pink-and-blue one, Kaito."

Carrie had already dispatched the Voltorb with a Bonemerang, and she and Hernan were advancing on the thief. Tobias giggled and clapped his hands, watching them fight. "That's your mummy and daddy, Tobias," Saylee said. "They're some of the strongest there is." Tobias waved his hands and laughed.

"Become an electric-type!" he ordered his Porygon. The programmed Pokémon immediately began to crackle with electricity, making Kaito back up nervously. Tobias giggled again and waved his little hands, which began to glow.

"Tobias…?" Saylee said uncertainly, wrapping her arms around him. Carrie's bone club, which had been arcing back to her hand, suddenly changed course and smacked hard into the Porygon from behind. It gave an eerie little screech and collapsed to the ground. The bone then lost momentum and fell to the ground at Kaito's feet.

"That was new," he said to Carrie, who retrieved her club, looking nonplussed. The thief tried to take the chance to bolt onto the ship, but Hernan chased after him, and with the ferry refusing to cast off, there was nowhere for the thief to go.

"What happened?" Chaz said as he landed and Saylee slipped off his back. "Saylee? Did you see?"

Saylee looked down at Tobias and then handed him to Carrie. "He was watching you and Hernan battle… I think he enjoyed it, he was giggling. Then he waved his hands, they glowed, and, uh…"

"Mummy!" Tobias said happily, giving Carrie a hug.

"His first word!" Hernan gasped, dragging the thief over to them.

"His first attack, too," Kaito said, leaning over and ripping their captive's coat off with his scythes. "Now give it _back_! It doesn't belong to you!"

A clear blue stone fell onto the ground. It was sharp-edged, like a fragment of something. When Saylee picked it up, it felt slightly warm. She held it up to her ear and gasped.

"I can hear waves!" she said, holding it away again. "Not like _those_…" she said, waving her hand at the waterfront only a few metres away. "Like… huge, deep waves… if that makes any sense."

"They're the waves at the bottom of the sea," Kaito said excitedly.

"How do you know?" Chaz asked. "You've never been to the bottom of the sea."

"I know that," Kaito said irritably, "but I know anyway. Because it just _is_."

"What is this?" Saylee demanded. "Who are you, anyway? Who were you going to sell it to?"

"My name is Gideon, and I, for your information, am a _genius_," Gideon sneered.

"Your training abilities say otherwise," Hernan said dryly.

"What you are holding in your hands," Gideon continued, ignoring him, "is a fragment of an ancient relic of _untold_ power! Didn't you read the engravings in the cave? Well, I doubt you could, it's a _very_ rare dead language. It talks of ancient people sealing it away so that the sea could not destroy them!"

"Then don't you think it would be a better idea to _leave_ it there?" Saylee asked, looking at the rock. Gideon laughed.

"I am a man of _science,_ not some credulous cave-dweller," he scoffed. "Those Rocket idiots probably would have blown up the cave to find it… I promised to retrieve it for them, for a _very_ handsome fee. I would have been rich if it weren't for you idiots!"

"Rockets?" Saylee said sharply. Gideon yelped as Hernan's grip on his arms increased. Carrie tucked Tobias protectively under one arm, gripping her club hard in the other hand. "You said something about Chrono Island, right? Is that where the Rockets are? Where's their main base, Gideon?"

"Oh, I see how it is," Gideon said, lip curling. "Tell you what. I'll gladly take you there if you make this cretin of yours let me _go_, and then we split the fee when you sell it. Deal?"

"Nope," Saylee said, "because I have a better idea. Carrie _doesn't_ smash your skull for calling Hernan a cretin, and in return you tell me _everything_ I want to know. Deal?"

"Oh, I wouldn't do that," Carrie said in shock. "That big skull of his would make a fine helmet. I'd just break his neck!"

"Mummy!" Tobias laughed, clapping his hands.

"Now, now, don't be violent in front of your baby," Chaz chided her. "I can roast the flesh off his bones easily, and then you've got an entire clean skeleton— a helmet, a few clubs…"

"I'll tell you!" Gideon yelled in a panic. "Fine, I'll tell you, okay? Savages…"

{}

"You know I wouldn't _actually_ have killed him," Carrie said, bouncing Tobias on her knee as the boat sped off to Chrono.

"Oh, I know," Saylee said, turning the blue stone over in her hands. "And Chaz wouldn't have roasted him. I know that. _He_ didn't need to."

"And that's because killing is _bad_, Toby," Carrie said to Tobias. "Understand? Killing is _bad._"

"Bad!" Tobias said brightly. "Bad?" he said again, pointing at Saylee.

"No, no," Carrie said, shaking her head. "Saylee. Not bad, Saylee."

"Lee!" Tobias said, pointing at Saylee. "Mummy!" he added, pointing at Carrie.

"Very good," Carrie said, giving him a kiss on the top of the head. Tobias giggled.

"Carrie, what are we going to do with him when we get to Chrono?" Saylee asked. "I don't have any spare pokéballs, so I can't put him in one, and the market there didn't have any when we were there last…"

"I trust you to hold onto him," Carrie said, looking up at Saylee. "Hernan, Kaito, Chaz and I can easily handle these b-" she glanced down at Tobias. "-ad men," she corrected herself. "We'll protect both of you. Don't worry."

"I always do," Saylee said, standing up as the captain called down that they were docking at Chrono in a moment."Time to go. Be careful."

"Always am," Carrie promised with a smile, waiting until Saylee had released Hernan, Kaito and Chaz before handing Tobias to her. "After all, whatever would you do without us?"

{}

There were Rocket guards all along the path to the Warehouse, but all of them were frozen into blocks of ice. Chaz and Hernan melted them out carefully. None were conscious, but none had yet suffocated or frozen to death, so they hadn't been in there long. Lorelei must have reached Chrono just ahead of them.

Saylee kept the blue crystal firmly gripped in one hand and both arms wrapped around Tobias. The crystal was beginning to buzz as they drew closer to the Warehouse, and Kaito kept throwing it uncertain looks.

"It's agitated," he explained. "It just is." Chaz was frowning as he looked towards the Warehouse as well, now visible behind a thin ring of trees.

"So is… something else," he said uncertainly. "Can't you hear it?"

"No," Hernan said, shaking his head. "What I _can_ hear is-" he paused. "Saylee, could you put your hands over Toby's ears, maybe?"

"I'm not entirely sure where they are," Saylee said, shifting her arms so that one was holding Tobias tightly around his middle and the other was gently wrapped around the general level of his eyes.

"Lee!" Tobias giggled, probably thinking it was some kind of new game. As they approached the warehouse doors, Saylee could hear the angry shouting.

"I put in the damned password! OPEN SAYS ME!"

"So, did you find anything on Mt Ember, Lorelei?" Saylee asked. The older woman was shouting angrily at a heavily reinforced door while Jeanette frowned at a keypad next to it.

"I found them trying to steal this," Lorelei said, holding up a clear red crystal. "Stupid thing's been buzzing for a couple of minutes now…"

"So has this," Saylee said, holding up the blue crystal. They stared at the pair for a moment. "I don't know what it is, but I didn't have time to go put it back. I had t get out here."

"Same," Lorelei said, handing Saylee the red crystal. "Here, if you're playing packhorse…" when the two crystals touched, the buzzing stopped abruptly.

"Good!" Tobias declared, waving his little hands. Lorelei stared at him.

"What is— never mind, I need to get in this stupid warehouse, but that guard _lied_ to me about the damn password!" she snarled. "Maybe I should've kept him around until I tried it…"

"Probably," Saylee agreed, frowning at the keypad. Then she smiled. "What was the password you were told?"

"Goldeen need log," Lorelei said, rolling her eyes. "Clearly someone delights in being a clever bugger."

"Good," Saylee said, entering that into the keypad. "The thief I caught told me that the password was 'Yes, nah, Chansey'. He also said that there were two passwords and he didn't know the other." She entered the second password and the door hissed open.

"You're not too bad yourself," Lorelei said, stepping inside. "Come on, and be careful…"

The first room of the warehouse had almost nothing in it except a stack of empty cages and some roller carts. Saylee's skin crawled just to look at the cages, and she decided to keep a hand over Tobias' eyes. The little one was beginning to struggle and whimper against her hand, not liking being kept in the dark for so long, but it was better than seeing what was behind the door into the main store room.

"Ah…" Chaz winced, wings arcing up over his head. Hernan, Carrie, Kaito and Jeanette all winced as well.

"I know," Saylee said, staring around in horror. "This is… _awful_…" The moans and wails of Pokémon in pain filled the air. She couldn't even see how far back the rows of cages went, but every single one of them contained a Pokémon that was curled up on itself in some way and crying in pain. Some were merely whimpering, like Saylee's team; others were full-on screaming, mainly young ones.

"Not just… the screaming…" Carrie hissed. "That… _screech… _what _is_ that…?" Tobias started to cry, and Saylee pressed her arm tighter around his head, desperate to block out whatever sound was hurting him and the other Pokémon. Even through the howls of pain and whatever screeching was bothering them, the sound of Tobias' crying seemed to hit Hernan and Carrie hard. Both of them immediately straightened up, raising fists and club, fire in their eyes.

Lorelei's expression was perfectly blank, her eyes pressed closed, as if she'd passed so far through rage that she'd hit some pool of calm on the other side.

"Jeanette," she said softly, "Let's open these cages." Jeanette nodded, blasting out a cold blizzard that encased the cages in ice.

"Break the ice, Hernan, Carrie!" Saylee ordered. Hernan's fists smashed through the frozen metal as if it was rotten wood. Carrie's club took out a whole row of cages at once. Various Pokémon crawled, slithered or flapped their way out of the ruined cages and made for the door behind Saylee and Lorelei.

At the other end of the warehouse, Saylee could hear shouting. A number of Rockets came running down the corridors of cages towards them.

"I'll handle these scum," Lorelei growled, releasing the rest of her Pokémon. All of them winced in pain. "Find out whatever it is they're hearing and shut the damn thing off!"

"Got it," Saylee said, running along the cages, looking for another aisle up to the back of the warehouse where all the Rockets had come from.

{}

{}

_The next chapter should be the last and then an epilogue. _

_Blergh. Busy life is busy. In the past eight days I've gone from being a bum living with my parents next year to having a share in a cheap, nice flat with three classmates in a good part of the city \o/ Though packing and arguing with the letting agent over whose job it is to fix the broken window and getting insurance keeps taking away writing time. DAMN YOU, REAL LIFE, INTERFERING WITH MY FANFICS. :P_

_Before anyone asks about Tobias learning to speak when he's less than a day old… I figure that Pokémon young develop much faster than human young because they're born from eggs. Young that are born from eggs stand the chance of being born without parents around or with the parents actually dead, something which obviously never happens with live young. As such, they will need to be able to move around, feed themselves and communicate with siblings very quickly. So there's nothing wrong with day-old Tobias already being able to talk and use Metronome :P_

…_And I could not have made this up, but the very first time I fought with Tobias and used Metronome, he used Bonemerang. I though "Awwww, he's trying to be just like Carrie!" and from that moment on was Carrie and Hernan's adopted baby. _

_Name: Tobias. Species: Togepi. Location: Hatched Ruin Valley, egg obtained Water Labyrinth. Nature: Serious. Ability: Serene Grace._

I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's.


	52. Chapter 52

Pokémon: 27 Deaths: 20

"I can't let you in here."

The speaker was a young woman with dark hair and a black Rocket uniform, standing with her back another door at the back of the warehouse. She had a powerful-looking Muk, Arbok, Vileplume in front of her, along with a four-legged black Pokémon that Saylee didn't know. It had horns and a chilling ridge of bones along its back, like some kind of undead Growlithe. When it snarled at Saylee, even the Rocket woman flinched.

"You'd be better off letting me in," Saylee said, letting Kaito and Chaz step in front of her. Carrie and Hernan were lagging behind, smashing cages open. "For the sake of you and your Pokémon. Can't you see they're in pain?"

"They're not mine," the woman said. "Anyway, they'll be fine, they're fully evolved…"

"I only have to stay until my mistress escapes, in any case," the Vileplume said snootily. "And keep intruders like _you_ from ruining her plans!" She blasted a spray of poisonous purple smoke at them, which Chaz burned out of the air.

"How can you support these plans?" Chaz snarled, blasting fire at the gathering. The four Pokémon scattered and surrounded them. "They're hurting Pokémon!"

"_Weak_ Pokémon," the strange black Pokémon snarled, fire curling from his jaws. "They're going to get stronger because of this! All Pokémon will get stronger! It's for their own _good_."

"Bad!" Tobias yelled sharply. "Not good! _Bad_! Hurts…" he whimpered and Saylee cuddled him tighter, gripping the stones in her fist. The Rocket woman flinched, then looked away from Tobias

"Team Rocket will make the world strong," the woman said, but her voice was hollow. It sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as Saylee. "So we'll never have to fall and suffer again…"

"Too bad that Team Rocket has fallen already," Hernan said, punching the Weezing out of the air.

"Is Toby alright?" Carrie called, smashing her club down hard on the Muk. "Hurting all of these poor Pokémon is bad enough, but I swear, if you have hurt my baby…" The Rocket woman glanced uncertainly at Tobias.

"Everyone starts off weak," Saylee said, cradling Tobias in her arms. "And anyone can grow up to be strong. But not like this! Can't you see that?"

"Giovanni… he can't have lost, he's too strong for that!" the Muk roared. "Get these liars!"

"With pleasure," the black, fiery Pokémon snarled, leaping at Saylee. Kaito intercepted, catching the attacker between the jaws with the blunt edge of his scythe and then blasting water down his throat. The enemy fell back, choking smoke.

"Right," Carrie said, jumping over the fallen foe and swinging her club at the woman by the door. "Move it or I WILL go through you!"

The woman looked at the oncoming force of maternal fury and decided that Team Rocket wasn't a cause worth dying for. She dived out of the way as Carrie's club smashed into the door. It took three blows to knock the door off its hinges.

There was a haphazard selection of computer screens and a large aerial in the middle of the floor. A ladder was dangling down by the aerial through a hole in the ceiling. A purple-haired man was scrambling up the ladder while a green-haired man was rapidly typing. He glanced back at Saylee and began to type faster.

"Boss!" the strange black Pokémon yelped. Archer leaned down from the hole in the ceiling and returned all four of the Pokémon. Carrie jumped back from the flashing red beams; getting hit by a dematerialization beam not keyed to your genetic code wouldn't kill you, but it would _hurt._

"Ready to go, Proton?" Archer demanded.

Proton grinned as the screens flashed red. "Ready to blow, boss!"

"Hold it!" Saylee shouted, starting towards him again. Hernan and Carrie both pushed past her, making sure she stayed back with Tobias as they attacked. Proton was too fast; he dropped a smokebomb the moment they moved, filling the room with choking, acrid black smoke. Saylee squeezed her eyes shut and started towards where she remembered the ladder being, tripping over the aerial in the process. Something in it sparked and Tobias abruptly stopped crying.

"Bad noise gone," he declared. "Bad men gone?"

"I think so," Hernan called. "I tried to grab the ladder and felt it get whisked away from me…"

"Saylee?" Carrie called as the smoke thinned out. "This screen has a countdown on it, and it's under five minutes…"

"Turn around and go, NOW!" Saylee called. "Run through the warehouse, open any cages that you see still occupied but do it _quickly_. You!" She shouted as she reached the door, pointing at the frozen (not literally, luckily for her) Rocket woman. "You too, run through the warehouse, start shouting that it's going to explode, unless you're going to tell me that he meant something else by 'ready to blow', and I'd love it if you could."

"Sorry," the woman said shakily, running off into the warehouse. "EVERYBODY RUN! THE PLACE IS GONNA BLOW!"

"Saylee, come on!" Chaz yelled sharply. Saylee ran for the door but stopped at the site of Kaito hacking at a cage in a corner of the room. "Carrie, help him open that and get whoever's in it out, then let's _go_!"

Hernan and Kaito hauled some kind of shining silver bird out of the cage. The timer hit two minutes and kept dropping.

Saylee climbed onto Chaz's back and got him to lift the bird in his claws so they could fly over the cages to the warehouse entrance while Carrie, Hernan and Kaito ran full pelt down the now deserted aisles. It looked like everyone was out; there were no more sounds of wailing Pokémon to be heard and Lorelei and the Rocket woman were nowhere to be seen.

"Keep moving!" Saylee shouted down as they fled from the building, trying to put the jewels in her pocket without dropping Tobias so she could return Carrie, Hernan and Kaito to their pokéballs. Before she could reach them, the building exploded.

It wasn't as big as she'd feared, more a number of small explosions that quickly turned the building into a raging inferno. Chaz spotted Lorelei and the Rocket woman and set Saylee and the silver bird next to them. "I'm going to go back and make sure nobody's still inside," he said, flying off and diving into the flames like a Poliwag diving into a pond. As soon as Carrie arrived, Saylee handed Tobias to her. She immediately began muttering to him, making sure he felt alright.

Saylee looked back at the burning building. Through the haze of smoke over it, she could distantly see a floating white shape flying away. Without Chaz, she couldn't go after it. The Rocket executives had escaped. All but one…

Lorelei and Jeaneatte were scowling at the captive Rocket woman, who was floating in the air in a haze of pink.

"It was… an experimental signal… to make Pokémon… grow faster," the woman groaned, shaking. "Some Pokémon… evolved quickly… even if they… couldn't… shouldn't…"

"And were they going to refine it so that it didn't cause them so much _pain_?" Lorelei asked icily.

"No… Proton said… unnecessary… finished… taking it… west… to Johto… for… the revival…" Tears of pain were starting to roll down the woman's cheeks.

"Jeanette, can you let her go?" Saylee asked. "I think she's going to tell us anyway. You don't have to hurt her."

"Seems unnecessary," Carrie added. Jeanette glanced at Lorelei, who rolled her eyes but nodded. The pink haze vanished and the woman dropped.

"Look, what's your name?" Saylee asked, crouching next to the coughing, shaking woman.

"V… Vera…" she choked. "I've been with Team Rocket more than ten years… I was going to join the Senior Executives if this went off well… but…" she shook her head. "Well, it did. But if it didn't… I wouldn't mind. This isn't what I signed up for…" She was crying again, curled up with her head pressed into her knees. "It used to be different, I swear…"

"I don't care too much about what used to be," Saylee said. "What I want to know is what's going to happen. Where are they going? Johto, you said?"

"To revive Team Rocket…" Vera said. "They're going to find Giovanni. They're all devoted to him. If he's fled Kanto, he has to be in Johto. I think that's where he's from."

"Johto…" Saylee sat back on her heels, frowning. She'd only ever read about Kanto's nearest neighbour, the nation to the west. Kanto was surrounded by huge mountain ranges for the most part, and the poisoned sea around the rest of it had only ceased to be actually corrosive in the past four or five years. Nobody she knew had ever been there; most people could barely get between towns, never mind across the mountains.

People from Johto didn't come to Kanto. Maybe they thought everyone was dead. Maybe everyone in Johto was dead. It wasn't as if news of the outside world ever found its way into Kanto.

"They've had a foothold there as long as in Kanto," Vera said. "Not openly criminal, though- that was how I started with Team Rocket, we'd all heard about the fighting in Kanto and I'd signed up to a project to try and come out and broker peace and rebuild the country…"

"Nobody else is in there," Chaz said, settling back down next to Saylee and glancing at the silver bird. It was starting to stir, prompted by Kaito. "What's going on?"

"What did you know about the war?" Saylee asked Vera.

"Kanto used to be a technological forerunner of the world…" Vera said, looking around the meadow. "From the point of view of other countries, it got arrogant. It lost respect for nature, for life that wasn't human… so Pokémon struck back."

"So everyone else in the world knows," Lorelei said bitterly, looking away towards the sea. She was probably thinking of the intense lengths that she had gone to to hide that very secret.

"And Team Rocket doesn't have respect for _any_ life," Saylee said, standing up. "Lorelei… all of you have to come clean with what happened. There are leaders, sensible people, who'll know what to do… Lt Surge has a good head on his shoulders, and Misty, Erika and Koga…"

"You'd really trust the country with the knowledge that humans and Pokémon are enemies?" Lorelei asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Hey, I trusted _you_ to get me here alive, didn't I?" Saylee said, looking at the jewels in her hand. "If we go to Johto, maybe we can get some of them to come out here. They'll know, so the people here might as well. Soon it'll be time to…"

The ghost of a thought slipped away from her. She pocketed the jewels. She'd only realize that she'd done so much later, out on the open sea.

"What are we going to do, Saylee?" Carrie asked. "Are we going after Team Rocket?"

Saylee nodded. "Get up," she said to Vera. "You're going to help me get to Johto."

{}

"Humans have very weak knuckles. But the heel of your hand there, with your arm straight there's a lot of force in it, so if your target is very solid then-"

"Do I want to know why you're learning how to punch from a Hitmonchan?" Blue asked, hopping down from Pete's back. "Don't you have a target to practice on?"

"You just got here," Saylee said.

"When did you get back, anyway?" Blue wanted to know. "For that matter, where the hell did you go? For all I knew, Lorelei murdered you and dumped you in the sea!"

"I found out where Team Rocket's going," Saylee said, imitating the arm motion that Hernan was showing her. Behind Hernan, Tobias was also trying out punches with his stubby little arms. "I'm going after them."

Saylee was deliberately not looking at Blue, but she knew that his expression had soured anyway. "Well, I'm honoured you hung around to say something this time," he said bitterly. "Are us lesser mortals going to be allowed some insight into your capricious whims this time?"

"They're bastards and it's convenient," Saylee said, rounding on him. "Sabrina said that Red is somewhere to the west. You and I both went as far west as the Plateau and Lance said we'd have to go farther still. I didn't think there was a way through the mountains before, but Vera knows a way. She's going to get me through to Johto."

"Why the hell do you trust her?" Blue demanded. "She's a Rocket too!"

"She's also got no Pokémon left and nowhere to go, so it's not like she can do anything to me," Saylee said. "And Bill confirmed that the tunnels she's talking about really exist. His grandfather lives on the other side of them, and if he made it through alive while maimed and bleeding… I have to go, Blue. It's been more than a year and a half since I left to find Red and I haven't even done that! And I can't let Team Rocket go, either. I've got to finish what I started…"

"Funny, since you running off again leaves me to finish what you started _here_," Blue sniped back at her. "If you're not going to be around, I'm the only trainer tough enough to look after Pallet and Viridian. Someone's got to finish what _Red_ started, anyway…"

"Fine," Saylee growled, turning around and punching the air again. She could hear Pete's wings flapping and glanced back to see them flying away. "I was _going_ to ask if he wanted to come with, but who cares if he doesn't want to?"

"But, Saylee," Carrie said softly, "won't that mean that you're going to be alone out there?"

Saylee's shoulders slumped and she nodded. "I'm sorry," she apologized for what felt like the millionth time. "When Professor Oak and Bill finish adapting the teleport pad, though, I'll be able to call on you guys as soon as I find Team Rocket… but they're _from_ Johto, they've got people everywhere, and you guys are…"

"We know," Hernan said, patting Saylee on the arm. Tobias imitated him, patting Saylee on the ankle. "If they've got more power in Johto, then we can't afford to put them on red alert the second we set foot there."

"I'll miss you guys," Saylee said, scooping up Tobias and giving him a hug. "I'm sure some downtime will be fun anyway, right? You guys need to raise Toby, and running around fighting with him in tow is too dangerous. And Kaito's getting along really well with Sheska…" Sheska was the silver bird that they'd rescued from the warehouse. She claimed to be a Skarmory, a Pokémon that Saylee had never heard of before. She had become quite enamoured with Kaito, as her saviour, and the two of them were often to be seen sparring together, Kaito's sharp claws _clang_ing off of Sheska's metallic wings. "That business at the Rocket warehouse… it shook both of them. They don't need to get mixed up in anything else dangerous…"

"And what about Chaz?" Carrie asked.

{}

"What's Blue's problem?" Chaz wanted to know. "Doesn't he miss Red at all?"

"Sure he does," Sam told him. "He just misses Saylee more, is all. Oh, he tries to hide it, but I know him too well." She winked at her old friend and held up two halves of a broken girder for him to weld together. "He said it was kind of terrifying when Red vanished… Red was the best trainer he or anyone else knew, from the sounds of it, and if something could take _him_ down… he doesn't want to go through that again with Saylee. He's just bad at expressing it."

"Saylee's going to miss him a lot, too," Chaz said. "And she misses her brother. She talks about him a lot. I know I miss Ben. He was a good guy…"

"He was," Sam agreed, helping him heft up the girder onto a pile of mended beams. "It feels like less than it's been, doesn't it? And you know, I think I'd give just about anything to have a friend like that back…" she patted Chaz on the shoulder. "Except another friend. It's not worth it. That's how I feel, and that's how Blue feels too."

"I can understand that," Chaz said with a nod. "But Saylee and I have seen too many friends dead to give up on ones that might still be alive…"

"I can understand that," Sam said with a little smirk.

"Yeah, well, I wish Blue could," Chaz said, spotting his trainer walking over to them. "I don't think that jackass appreciates how much how he feels means to Saylee."

"You might be right about that," Sam said, ambling off. "Sometimes, I don't think he has any idea that they mean anything at all."

"Hey, Chaz," Saylee said, looking around. "Where'd Sam go?"

"They're digging a new well to the south, she's going to have a look at the water," Chaz said. "From the look on Blue's face as he and Pete flew past, all is not well?"

"He's a jackass," Saylee said, leaning against Chaz's neck. "Bill thinks they'll be able to test the new portpad in a week. Carrie made him a new foot, by the way, since the wooden one his grandpa made for him was kind of rotten… we didn't ask what she made hers out of."

"So as soon as it works, you'll be going?" Chaz asked. Saylee nodded.

"Vera's been quiet and well-behaved, so we should get there fine," she said. "You'll be there until we get to Johto, anyway." She hugged him. "I'm sorry I have to leave you behind, I just… I don't want to have to leave you in your pokéball for ages, but if you're seen…"

"I know," Chaz said gently. "I know that the whole point of the portpad is so we can get to you when it's time. I just hope that's soon, is all…"

"Me too," Saylee said. "Me too…"

{}

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_Sorry about the long time between updates. Hectic life has been hectic. Starting back at Uni, moving into my new flat, and doing tons of extra shifts at work in order to save up rent money… Oooft. As of tomorrow, I'm going to be living in my new flat, but we're not going to be able to get a modem installed until October 3__rd__. As such, I'm posting this final chapter now, but it's a quick, unbeta'd version. As soon as I have internet access, a more polished version of this chapter and an epilogue will be posted._

_I've already half-written the sequel to this fic, based on my playthrough of SoulSilver. It's going well because I'm a LOT more cautious this time. Because I've got so much written already, I'll be able to post quite consistently once it's up. Saylee's got a lot of unresolved business to deal with, and a few secrets in store for her. Thank you for sticking with her thus far, and supporting her through the hard times._

_Very special thanks to the brilliant __**Jack Falconer**__for first leaving helpful reviews and then evolving into full-on beta. Your input on the chapters has been invaluable. Thank you so much :)_

_Uber special chocolate-coated thanks to the fabulous __**Key-chan,**__ my muse, breeder of my plunnies and the other half of late-night cracktastic conversations that gave birth to the wider universe that Saylee is moving in. We've got a LOT of fun in store for y'all ;) Her DeviantArt gallery is a treasure trove of crack, foreshadowing and pretty art, so check it out if you dare ;)_

_Once again, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. This story, even when it's been tough, has been fun to write, and it's even better to know that other people have enjoyed it as much as I have. Thank you : )_

I do not own Pokémon. That happy right is Game Freak's.


	53. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

_Pokémon: 1 Deaths: 20_

After five days of travel through the caves, Saylee was nearly blinded by the brightness of the sunlight when she took her first step into Johto. She'd never seen such a clear sky, nor such a bright shade of blue.

"Look at the water, too," Vera said, hopping off of Chaz's back and skidding down the slope to a lake. "You won't have seen anything like this before."

Saylee followed her and gasped when she peered into the water. She could see the white sand at the bottom. She could see every Goldeen and Poliwag that was swimming around in the water. She could barely even see the water itself at all.

"That was how it used to be," Chaz said, peering over her shoulder. "So full of life…" he looked across the lake. Further down the mountainside was a small village.

"That's a small, unimportant little place," Vera said. "It's called New Bark Town. It isn't even on a lot of maps. Team Rocket's never bothered to have any presence there. It'll make a good, safe base of operations. Plus, drifters move in and out of the little houses there all the time. We won't really stand out."

"I probably shouldn't go down with you," Chaz said sadly. "You might not stand out, but I probably will."

Saylee hugged him. "I'm really going to miss you," she said quietly. "I know I've been planning this for a long time, but…" she laughed shakily. "It was like this the day I left. I'd been thinking of going for months and months, but it didn't feel real until I first met you. I didn't want to show it, but I felt so scared…" she hugged him tighter. "I felt safe, no matter where I went or what happened, because I always had you with me. But now I'm saying goodbye…"

"He could stay, so long as he doesn't leave his pokéball," Vera suggested. Chaz nodded, but winced. Saylee didn't miss his expression.

"Chaz doesn't like spending long periods in his pokéball," she said, leaning back and stroking Chaz's snout. "After all, you were once put away for a long time, and you didn't get out again until after Armageddon…"

"It won't be long, anyway," Chaz reassured her. "You have the portpad. Your mum will write you letters, and I'll try to get Blue's head out of his ass so he can, too. Bill's back out here somewhere to, installing phones that'll connect… Anyway, soon you'll find Team Rocket and we'll fight together again. It'll be no time at all…"

"Or I might get lucky and find Red and Ben," Saylee said. "If I do, you and Sam will be the first to know!"

Chaz nodded, stepping back and spreading his wings. "Whatever happens, just make sure _you_ come back, Saylee," he said. "No matter what… it'll be fine, so long as we at least get _you _back."

"I promise," Saylee said, holding out his pokéball. "I'll see you soon!"

She returned him and set his pokéball into the portpad. It sent to Pallet easily enough, and Saylee was alone with Vera.

The stood silently for a moment, Saylee with her back to Vera and hunched over her Pokédex.

"…Hernan taught me to throw a good punch," Saylee said eventually. "If you've lied to me or tricked me in any way, you'd better get used to a life with no teeth."

Vera laughed. "Come on, it's about three hours' hike down to New Bark," she said. "We'd better get our stories straight." She stretched, rolling her shoulders. "It's been a long time since I've breathed such clean air… makes me wish I had a cleaner conscience, so I could deserve it."

"I hope Kanto gets to be like this one day," Saylee said, following her down the slope.

"Setting yourself another big goal?" Vera said. "You've got plenty to be getting on with."

"You're right," Saylee agreed, taking one last look back at the mountains that separated her from Kanto. "Right now… better deal with the job that's in front of me." She turned back to Vera. "So. Stories… We probably need to make up names, right? What's an unremarkable Johto name? I'm trying to blend in, after all."

"Lyra's nice, if maybe a little common…" Vera said.

Summer was coming to an end, but the weather was still warmer and brighter than Saylee had ever seen. It felt like a good omen to Saylee. Maybe, just maybe, the fresh start of Johto was just what she needed to finish Team Rocket once and for all and solve the mystery of Red's fate.

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_So I realized that tomorrow, my 20__th__ birthday, will be one year since I started posting this. Neat, huh? Perhaps 20 is too old for Pokémon. Perhaps it's time to grow up and…_

…_oh who am I kidding, I need to go preorder White 2 and I need to do it NAO. _

_Saylee will return quite soon in _Nuzlocke:Revelations, _based on my SoulSilver run. Before then, I'm planning to do some edits to this fic, so sort out some early instalment weirdness in the early chapters and make some changes based on plot points and themes that I decided on later in the fic. So expect that on a random basis, and the SoulSilver fic sometime around the new year._

_Thank you all, and I hope to see you again in Johto! :)_


End file.
